Aerogel Materials Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing has cooled since its 2017 peak. Annual filings dropped from 340 in 2017 to 27 in the most recent (partial) year, with the 2022 midpoint of 137 already below peak.
- One leader holds nearly a fifth of the field. The top-ranked assignee alone accounts for 562 records, while the five leaders together hold 34.8% of all 3,244 records in scope.
- Insulation and drying-process claims dominate the IPC mix. Non-metallic inorganic compounds (C01B) appear on 56.5% of records, well ahead of polymer processing (C08J) at 34.3%.
What the aerogel patent record shows
Aerogel patenting sits at the intersection of inorganic chemistry, polymer processing and pipe insulation, and the IPC mix in this dataset reflects that: C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds) is attached to more than half of all records, while F16L (pipes and pipe fittings) shows aerogel blanket technology has moved well beyond lab-scale silica chemistry into industrial insulation applications. The search scope combines core aerogel terms with process-specific language — supercritical drying, ambient pressure drying, dust shedding, mechanical fragility — which narrows the corpus to records where drying method and structural durability are explicitly claimed, not just aerogel composition in passing.
Filing activity peaked in 2017 and has declined since, with the most recent year understated because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. Read the trend as a signal of where claim density has already built up, not as a verdict on whether the technology itself is maturing or fading.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 3,244-record corpus: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how records distribute across the IPC subclasses that define the field's core technical branches.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings ran at 340 in 2017, the peak year in this dataset, fell through the 2022 midpoint of 137, and stand at 27 in the most recent partial year — treat that final year as undercounted given publication lag.
IPC subclass composition
C01B (inorganic compounds) leads at 56.5% of records, C08J (polymer processing) follows at 34.3%, and B01J (catalysis/chemical processes) and F16L (pipe insulation) each clear a fifth of the corpus — shares sum past 100% because records carry multiple IPC classes.
Shares are the percentage of the 3,244 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Aerogel Materials and Applications with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about aerogel materials and applications and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited prior art and a representative recent filing
Method for producing silica aerogel blanket by reusing supercritical waste liquid (US11891306B2)
Provided is a method for producing a silica aerogel blanket, the method comprising recovering and reusing a supercritical waste liquid generated after a supercritical drying process. Without additional equipment investment or energy input, recovered supercritical waste liquid can be reused by lowering ammonium ion (NH4+) content through a simple adjustment of drying conditions, reducing production costs while preventing deterioration of thermal insulation performance.Filed by LG Chem, granted 2024-02-06 — illustrates how process-cost claims (waste-liquid reuse) are layered onto core composition claims rather than replacing them.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US7071287B2 | Aerogel metallic compositions | 1,530 |
| 2 | US4402927A | Silica aerogel | 337 |
| 3 | US4610863A | Process for forming transparent aerogel insulating arrays | 334 |
| 4 | US6670402B1 | Rapid aerogel production process | 318 |
| 5 | US5420168A | Method of low pressure and/or evaporative drying of aerogel | 288 |
| 6 | US5789075A | Aerogel composites, process for producing the same and their use | 270 |
| 7 | US5306555A | Aerogel matrix composites | 259 |
| 8 | US20090029147A1 | Aerogel-foam composites | 227 |
| 9 | US20040132845A1 | Polyimide aerogels, carbon aerogels, and metal carbide aerogels and methods of making same | 198 |
| 10 | US5962539A | Process and equipment for drying a polymeric aerogel in the presence of a supercritical fluid | 184 |
Citation counts favour older, foundational records within this searched corpus — read them as markers of influence on later filings, not as a ranking of current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the concentration and geography data mean for filing strategy
Beyond the headline ranking, three patterns in this dataset matter for anyone deciding where to file or where to look for freedom to operate.
The field is concentrated but not closed
The five leading assignees hold 34.8% of all 3,244 records, and the top ten extend that to 41.4% — a meaningful concentration, but one that still leaves the majority of filings spread across a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants.
US and China lead receiving offices, Europe close behind
The United States receives the most filings at 916, with China at 664 and the EPO at 625 — a three-way split that means freedom-to-operate work needs to clear all three jurisdictions rather than treating one as a proxy for global coverage.
Even leaders are filing less in the latest year
Recent-year momentum for the most active assignees in this dataset shows declines rather than growth — several leaders show zero filings or year-over-year drops of 50% or more, consistent with the broader post-2017 decline in the overall trend.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to aerogel materials and applications, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| LG Chem, Ltd. | Inha University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | 22 |
| Aspen Aerogels, Inc. | OU DUAN LI | 6 |
| Nanjing Tech University | Jiangsu Ruiying New Materials Technology Development Co., Ltd. | 6 |
| Aspen Aerogels, Inc. | GOULD GEORGE L | 5 |
| Aspen Aerogels, Inc. | TRIFU ROXANA | 4 |
| Cabot Corporation | MENASHI JAMEEL | 4 |
| Cabot Corporation | BAUER ULRICH | 4 |
| Aspen Aerogels, Inc. | STEPANIAN CHRISTOPHER J | 3 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear in this dataset, and the strongest link (22 shared records) sits between a major chemicals filer and a university technology-transfer office — a pattern more typical of licensing-linked joint filing than broad industry consortia.
Who holds the ranked filings, and where the gaps sit
The ranking covers 100 companies counted in records — the full set the data endpoint returns, not a top-50 or top-100 cut chosen for this page. A single leader sits well ahead of the field, with volume falling off quickly by the tenth position.
One filer holds a clear lead
The top-ranked assignee in this dataset holds 562 records, more than eight times the count at tenth place (37) — a gap that signals a sustained, multi-year filing program rather than a single burst of activity.
Volume drops sharply after the top ten
Fifth place sits at 64 records and tenth place at 37 — after that the ranking flattens into a long tail of entrants with far smaller, more recent filing footprints.
Sector-wide filing has slowed from its 2017 peak
The dataset's own peak year, 2017 at 340 filings, has not been approached since; by the 2022 midpoint filings had already fallen to 137, and several of the most active named assignees show flat or negative year-over-year momentum in the latest year.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| LG Chem, Ltd. | 1 | -50% |
| Nanjing Tech University | 1 | -50% |
| Aspen Aerogels, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Cabot Corporation | 0 | — |
| Resonac Corporation | 0 | — |
| Blueshift Materials, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| BASF SE | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The ranking and trend data point to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate clearance, licensing scouting, or R&D whitespace mapping.
Map claims against the under-claimed branches
Ambient-pressure drying and dust-shedding surface treatments carry lower filing density than core silica-aerogel composition claims — worth a closer claim-by-claim read before committing R&D budget there.
Explore whitespace in EurekaCheck the leader's claim scope before filing nearby
With 562 records concentrated in one assignee's portfolio, any new filing touching supercritical drying or blanket-composition claims should be checked against that portfolio specifically, not just the general prior art.
Run a claim comparison in EurekaWatch the long tail for licensing targets
A ranking that flattens quickly after the top ten often hides smaller assignees with narrow but defensible process claims — useful acquisition or licensing targets if their filings align with a specific drying or blanket-forming step.
Screen the long tail in EurekaCommon questions about aerogel patents
The ranking in this dataset covers 100 companies, with one assignee holding 562 records — well ahead of the rest of the field. The top five combined account for 34.8% of all 3,244 records in scope, and the top ten reach 41.4%, so while there is a clear leader, the majority of filings are spread across a long tail of smaller and more recent entrants. Family-level counts, rather than raw document counts, give the fairer picture since they neutralise continuation filings and multi-jurisdiction duplicates.
Filing activity peaked in 2017 at 340 records and has declined since, falling to 137 by the 2022 midpoint and to 27 in the most recent partial year. Some of that final-year drop reflects publication lag, since patent applications typically publish around 18 months after filing, so the true recent-year count is understated. Even so, the multi-year trend from 2017 onward points to a cooling rather than an accelerating field.
Supercritical drying is one of the core process terms in this dataset's search scope, alongside ambient-pressure drying, and it appears across both foundational and recent filings — including the representative 2024 filing on reusing supercritical waste liquid to cut production costs. Historically cited foundational patents, including older silica aerogel and rapid-production process patents, established much of the baseline drying methodology that later filings refine rather than replace. Recent filings tend to focus on cost and byproduct handling within the supercritical process rather than on new drying chemistries.
The United States leads as a receiving office with 916 filings, followed by China at 664 and the European Patent Office at 625, with WIPO/PCT filings at 256 suggesting many applicants file internationally before committing to national phase. Canada (94) and India (90) trail well behind the top three. Anyone doing freedom-to-operate work in this field needs to check all three leading jurisdictions rather than assuming coverage in one implies coverage elsewhere.
Relative to the dominant C01B (inorganic compounds) and C08J (polymer processing) classes, branches like ambient-pressure drying formulations, dust-shedding surface treatments and ceramic-aerogel hybrid insulation under C04B show comparatively lower filing density in this dataset. That does not mean these areas are unclaimed, but the claim space looks less occupied than the core silica-composition and blanket-forming claims that dominate the ranked leaders' portfolios. A claim-by-claim review of the specific sub-area against the current ranked assignees' filings is the necessary next step before assuming freedom to operate.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.