Alkaline Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape 2026
Agfa Gevaert NV holds a dominant, concentrated position in alkaline green hydrogen, accounting for nearly half of all ranked patent families among the top hundred filers. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis — recent-window growth is strongly positive — though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak, and filings in the most recent periods remain undercounted due to publication lag.
One dominant incumbent shapes a highly concentrated field
Agfa Gevaert NV leads the alkaline green hydrogen patent landscape by a wide margin, holding 37 patent families — more than twice the combined total of any four challengers combined. The top five filers together account for 58% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signalling tight concentration at the top.
A clear two-tier structure exists: Agfa Gevaert NV occupies tier one alone, while the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Chemours FC LLC, Evonik Operations GmbH, and Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd. each hold 4 patent families, forming a thin second tier. The gap between tiers is unusually sharp for a field of this size.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agfa-Gevaert NV | 37 | |
| 2 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 4 | |
| 3 | The Chemours Company FC LLC | 4 | |
| 4 | Evonik Operations GmbH | 4 | |
| 5 | Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 6 | Santana Campos Rodrigues Jose Joao | 3 | |
| 7 | Services Petroliers Schlumberger SA | 2 | |
| 8 | Yokohama National University | 2 | |
| 9 | CMP – Cimentos Maceira e Pataias | 2 | |
| 10 | ABB (Schweiz) AG | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Schlumberger Technology BV | 2 | |
| 12 | Baowu Clean Energy Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 13 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 1 | |
| 14 | DH2 Energy España SL | 1 | |
| 15 | Abdiogullari R&D Engineering Design Inc. | 1 | |
| 16 | Parishkar College of Global Excellence (Autonomous) | 1 | |
| 17 | Magneto Special Anodes | 1 | |
| 18 | Monali Bhupendrabhai Suthar | 1 | |
| 19 | Vellore Institute of Technology Chennai | 1 | |
| 20 | Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Agfa Gevaert NV’s position implies deep control over membrane and separator technology for alkaline electrolysis — the most-cited patents confirm that separators for alkaline water electrolysis are the pivotal technical locus. New entrants and challengers have limited room to manoeuvre in the core electrolytic production subclasses without engaging with Agfa’s portfolio.
Filings from approximately 2024–2026 are likely undercounted due to standard 18-month publication lag; the apparent slowdown in recent years should not be read as a genuine decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth with a membrane-dominated technology mix
Annual filing activity climbed sharply from 2021 onward before easing from a 2023 peak, while the technology composition reveals that electrolytic production of compounds (C25B) dominates but adjacent branches remain relatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2021, then accelerated strongly through 2022 and peaked in 2023 at 17 patent families before easing to 13 in 2024 and registering 20 in 2025. The 2025 and 2026 figures are substantially understated by publication lag and should be read as floors, not ceilings. The recent-window growth rate of 450% versus the prior equivalent window confirms the multi-year expansion is real.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) accounts for the overwhelming majority of IPC-tagged records, reflecting deep focus on electrolyser cell design and membrane/separator materials. Water and wastewater treatment (C02F) and separation processes (B01D) are the next most represented branches, pointing to interest in feed-water purification and gas-liquid separation. Polymer processing (C08J) and fuel-cell/battery technology (H01M) each carry a smaller but notable share, suggesting emerging interest in anion-exchange membrane materials and system-level integration.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
A separator for alkaline water electrolysis
A separator for alkaline water electrolysis comprising: – a porous support (100) and on at least one side of the support, in order: – an optional porous layer including a Polymer A (200), and – a non-porous layer including a Polymer B (300), characterized in that the separator is obtainable by coating on the porous support (100) or the optional porous layer… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种电解水制氢耦合海水淡化系统及方法 | 23 |
| 2 | A separator for alkaline water electrolysis | 19 |
| 3 | A separator for alkaline water electrolysis | 14 |
| 4 | A separator for alkaline water electrolysis | 9 |
| 5 | 一种混合式电解水的绿氢制备系统 | 7 |
| 6 | A separator for alkaline water electrolysis | 5 |
| 7 | 一种电解水制氢耦合海水淡化系统及方法 | 4 |
| 8 | A separator for alkaline water electrolysis | 3 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of high concentration, recent-window growth, and a thin challenger tier creates distinct strategic implications depending on whether an organisation is entering, expanding, or differentiating.
Growth stage — multi-year expansion with annual volume easing from peak
The lifecycle evidence places alkaline green hydrogen in a Growth stage. Recent-window filings are dramatically above the prior equivalent window (450% growth), confirming the field is still expanding on a multi-year basis. However, annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak, and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag — so the current trajectory is best characterised as sustained growth with normalising annual cadence rather than a true decline.
Growth stageSingle-firm dominance creates both barrier and opportunity
The top five filers account for 58% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and Agfa Gevaert NV alone accounts for 37 patent families — roughly half of that group’s output. This extreme top-heaviness means core separator and membrane subclasses under C25B are well-defended. Challengers with 4 patent families each (Dalian CAS, Chemours, Evonik, Nippon Shokubai) remain well below the leader, suggesting the second tier has not yet converged on Agfa’s depth.
High concentrationLimited co-filing; two active partnerships identified
Two co-filing relationships are confirmed in the evidence. Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd. and Yokohama National University have jointly filed 2 patent families, combining industrial polymer chemistry with academic electrochemistry. Services Petroliers Schlumberger SA and Schlumberger Technology BV have also jointly filed 2 patent families, reflecting intra-group coordination rather than external ecosystem building. Broader cross-institutional collaboration is sparse, leaving room for a well-positioned entrant to anchor a research consortium.
Sparse ecosystemPCT leads; India filing volume is a notable signal
WIPO PCT is the leading jurisdiction with 18 records, consistent with applicants seeking broad international protection early. Europe (EPO) ranks third with 15 records, and China holds 9 records. India’s 17 records rank second overall, a higher-than-expected share that may reflect both domestic academic filing activity and growing industrial interest in green hydrogen infrastructure. The United States holds only 7 records, suggesting US commercial deployment ambitions remain underprotected relative to the technology’s maturity.
PCT-led, India notableGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. | Yokohama National University | 2 |
| Schlumberger Technology BV | Services Petroliers Schlumberger SA | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Agfa Gevaert NV dominates membranes; challengers cluster in electrolytic production
All momentum signals in the evidence show new-entrant trajectory for the top filers, consistent with a field that accelerated sharply from 2021. Agfa Gevaert NV’s lead is qualitatively different in scale from any challenger.
Agfa Gevaert NV
Agfa Gevaert NV holds 37 patent families and enters the recent filing window with a new-entrant trajectory, indicating that the bulk of its portfolio was built rapidly in the current growth phase rather than accumulated over decades. Its technology emphasis is concentrated across C25B subclasses — electrolytic production, separators (C25B 13), electrolytic cell design (C25B 9), and hydrogen generation (C25B 1) — making it the defining force in alkaline water electrolysis membrane and separator IP. Any entrant targeting separator materials must account for this portfolio.
families: 37Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (CAS)
The Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, holds 4 patent families with a new-entrant momentum trajectory. Its technology emphasis spans both electrolytic production (C25B 1) and water treatment (C02F 1, C02F 103), differentiating it from purely membrane-focused competitors and suggesting interest in integrated electrolysis-purification systems. As a public research institute it may be a licensing or collaboration target for industrial partners seeking to enter the water-coupled electrolyser space.
families: 4| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Agfa-Gevaert NV | 28 | ▲ new entrant |
| The Chemours Company FC LLC | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Yokohama National University | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Several IPC branches co-occur with the dominant C25B class but carry materially lower patent record counts, pointing to areas where the technical connection to alkaline green hydrogen is established but IP coverage remains thin.
B01D · Separation processes and advanced membrane filtration
B01D (separation processes including filtration, membranes, and gas-liquid separation) appears in 11 records — notable in absolute terms but representing only 8% of the corpus’s IPC-tagged records relative to C25B’s dominance. Alkaline electrolysers require effective gas bubble separation and electrolyte management, making membrane filtration and phase-separation engineering directly relevant to stack performance. Current coverage is sparse enough that well-targeted filings in advanced diaphragm geometries or gas-liquid separator designs could establish a defensible position adjacent to Agfa’s separator-focused core.
Search this in Eureka →H01M · Fuel cell and battery system integration
H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) appears in 9 records, a share of 7%, indicating that the intersection of alkaline electrolysis with fuel cell system integration — for example, reversible electrolyser-fuel cell configurations or shared balance-of-plant components — is technically relevant but IP-sparse. The plausible entry path runs through system-level patents covering power conditioning, stack management, or hybrid storage architectures that connect alkaline electrolysis to downstream energy conversion, areas where neither Agfa nor the current challenger tier has staked significant claims.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ across electrolysis subclasses
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | C25B 1 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C25B 13 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C25B 9 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C25B 15 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C02F 1 · Water & wastewater treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agfa-Gevaert NV | Strong · 36 | Strong · 37 | Strong · 20 | Emerging · 5 | Absent |
| The Chemours Company FC LLC | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Strong · 4 | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Strong · 3 |
| Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd. | Strong · 4 | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Services Petroliers Schlumberger SA | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 |
| Schlumberger Technology BV | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 |
| Evonik Operations GmbH | Strong · 4 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence includes 77 patent families in scope for alkaline green hydrogen, spanning multiple jurisdictions with WIPO PCT as the leading filing office.
Agfa Gevaert NV leads with 37 patent families, more than nine times the next-ranked applicants. Its portfolio is concentrated in C25B subclasses covering alkaline water electrolysis separators, cell design, and hydrogen production.
The field is in a Growth lifecycle stage. Recent-window filings are 450% above the prior equivalent window, confirming multi-year expansion. Annual volume eased from a 2023 peak, but the most recent years are materially understated by publication lag, so the apparent softening should not be read as a genuine decline.
WIPO PCT leads with 18 records, followed closely by India with 17 records and Europe (EPO) with 15 records. China holds 9 records and the United States holds 7 records, suggesting US commercial interest is currently underprotected relative to the technology’s development stage.
The most-cited works include a Chinese patent on an electrolytic water-hydrogen production system coupled with seawater desalination (cited 23 times) and multiple Agfa Gevaert-associated patents titled ‘A separator for alkaline water electrolysis,’ with individual citation counts of 19, 14, 9, 5, and 3 — confirming that separator technology is the pivotal technical locus.
B01D (separation processes and membrane filtration, 11 records) and H01M (fuel cell and battery integration, 9 records) are the most technically plausible adjacent branches with relatively sparse coverage. C08J (polymer processing relevant to anion-exchange membranes, 9 records) and B01J (catalysis and electrode materials, 1 record) also show low coverage despite clear technical relevance to alkaline electrolysis.
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