LIGHT H2BOX splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using a graphene aerogel excited by a near-infrared laser and a high-frequency electric field — with no membranes, no precious metals and no need for ultrapure water.
The core of the reactor is a nanostructured graphene aerogel submerged directly in water or brine. Two energy inputs work together: a focused near-infrared laser beam and a radio-frequency alternating current flowing through the interface. The result is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen close to the stoichiometric ratio of water decomposition.
A continuous-wave laser diode (λ = 975–980 nm, about 5 W) creates a micrometre-scale focal spot on the aerogel and triggers Laser-Induced White Emission (LIWE) — the threshold that starts the reaction.
A 450 kHz RF field (140–220 W per electrode) polarises the catalytic site and sustains localised micro-discharges — according to the team's model, hot steam pockets form around the aerogel.
Hot electrons emitted from graphene reduce water to hydrogen, while the conductive matrix closes the circuit and evolves oxygen. The bulk liquid stays cool and acts as reactant, dielectric and coolant.
A single graphene layer absorbs only 2.3% of light. The 3D, hierarchically porous aerogel traps photons through multiple internal reflections, absorbing across the visible and near-infrared — free of the bandgap limits of classic photocatalysts such as TiO₂.
Gas evolution starts only once LIWE is ignited. Raising laser power by just 25% (3.2 → 4.0 W) increases emission intensity more than fivefold. Cutting the power stops gas generation immediately — a reactor with very low inertia.
A 5 W laser acts as an optical gate for an electrical discharge 28–44 times more powerful. The combination consistently delivers more hydrogen than either input alone and stabilises the discharge at higher power.
Reactions take place in microscopic hotspots where the electrical work needed to split water is far lower than at room temperature — without heating the whole reactor, as high-temperature electrolysers must.
| Component | Share | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen (H₂) | 39.40% | Primary reduction product |
| Oxygen (O₂) | 21.60% | Primary oxidation product |
| Argon | 37.93% | Carrier gas |
| CO + CO₂ + CH₄ | 1.07% | Trace carbon by-products |
GC analysis, NIR laser (975–980 nm) with bipolar liquid discharge. No N₂ detected, confirming the measured oxygen comes from water, not air leaks.
Laboratory-scale results (GLP / INTiBS PAN). Expected whole-device consumption at the wall plug, including power supplies, gas purification and compression: 35–38 kWh/kg. Values to be confirmed by certified measurement on the demonstrator.
Modular. Scalable. Instant on.
H2BOX is a hydrogen generator built from standardised electro-optical cells. Each product includes a gas separation and purification module; fuel cells, tanks and compressors are standard market components.
A single electrode with a multi-point fibre-optic laser distribution network inside one reaction cell.
A standardised stack of 12 electrode units forming one easily serviceable processing module.
Capacity scales by replicating modules, from a single home unit to containerised installations.
Safe gas handling: selective membrane separation, microchannel flame quenching, inert gas dilution with flame arrestors and shaped electrodes separating H₂ and O₂ at the point of formation.
Saline water instead of demineralised water, no rare materials, low electricity use, instant start-up and modular design open markets where current hydrogen solutions fall short.
Solar panels produce several times more energy in summer than in winter. Batteries are excellent over hours, but uneconomic for storing energy over months.
Summer surplus is converted into hydrogen and stored in a tank; in winter a fuel cell returns electricity and useful heat. Variants for homes and for industrial plants.
More and more hours on power exchanges bring zero or negative prices, and renewable output is curtailed and lost.
Instant on/off operation lets the device run selectively in the hours when electricity is cheapest or would otherwise be wasted.
Panel-powered hydrogen plants run at full power for only a fraction of the year, and electrolysers need around 55 kWh per kilogram of hydrogen.
Lower electricity use per kilogram means a smaller solar farm for the same output. Containerised generator built from repeatable 5 kW modules.
Heat treatment, glass and electronics plants buy bottled hydrogen, where transport adds significantly to the cost.
Small on-site modules running on tap water, with gas purification matched to the purity the process requires.
Telecom towers, monitoring stations and remote communities rely on diesel deliveries. Panels with a battery cannot bridge a cloudy week or winter.
An autonomous energy reserve that refills itself from sunlight and locally available water, with no fuel deliveries.
Ferries, tugs and service boats could switch to hydrogen today, but ports have none — and electrolysers by the sea need a desalination plant.
A quayside station producing hydrogen directly from harbour water, without desalination, sized to the local fleet.
Fuel-cell drones fly several times longer than battery drones, but hydrogen has to be brought to the field in cylinders.
A mobile station with fold-out panels producing and compressing hydrogen on site from any available water.
The technology has been developed since 2016 by Graphene Light Project in collaboration with the Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences (INTiBS PAN) in Wrocław. Hydrograph commercialises its applications.
Patent PL 247561 “Device for producing hydrogen” (INTiBS PAN), exclusive licence held by Graphene Light Project; Polish, European and PCT filings
Platinum Medal — INTARG 2023, under the patronage of WIPO
Hydrogen Laboratory and Graphene Innovations Laboratory, INTiBS PAN, Wrocław
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