Fastest
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/carbon-molecular-sieves-and-adsorbents-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Carbon MaterialsCarbon molecular sieve and carbon adsorbent patents: who holds the claim space and where it is thinning out
- Flat filing, not falling behind. activity peaked in 2019 at 6 filings and has not exceeded that since, pointing to a mature, tightly-held claim space rather than a growing one.
- No single filer dominates recent years. every tracked assignee shows zero filings in the latest year, so momentum in this dataset has stalled across the board rather than shifting to a new leader.
- Gas separation, not medical, is where the volume sits. B01J and B01D together cover the large majority of the 70 families, while A61K medicinal carbon-adsorbent filings are a much smaller, separate cluster.
70
Published Records
43%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-50%
3-Yr Growth (lag-adjusted)
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 70 patent families filed against carbon molecular sieves and carbon adsorbents where the claims touch pore size tuning, adsorption selectivity, regeneration cycles, nitrogen-oxygen separation, or attrition resistance, under IPC classes B01J20, C01B32 and B01D53. It spans filings from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 data cut-off, with the most recent year necessarily undercounted because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. The picture is one of steady, low-volume patenting rather than a fast-growing field: a peak of 6 filings in 2019, a midpoint of 3 filings in 2022, and no clear upward trend since.
Filings concentrate in gas separation chemistry — B01J catalytic/adsorption processes and B01D separation apparatus — with a smaller but persistent A61K medicinal-adsorbent cluster built around oral toxin-adsorbing carbons. Receiving-office data shows the United States and China as the two largest filing destinations, followed by Europe, the WIPO PCT route, India and Japan, indicating this is an internationally contested but not globally uniform space.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Let an AI agent run this analysis on your own technology
Pick a task. Every answer cites the patents behind it.
10,000 free credits to start
The data
Filing trend and technology mix
Two views of the same 70-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those families split across IPC subclasses.
Filing trend, 2017-2026
Filings rose to a peak of 6 in 2019, sat at 3 by the 2022 midpoint, and show no sustained growth since — a flat-to-declining pattern typical of a claim space where the core mechanisms are already staked out.
IPC subclass composition
B01J (54 records) and B01D (48 records) dominate, reflecting the field's core identity as a gas- and vapour-separation technology. C01B32 (31 records) covers the carbon material itself, while A61K/A61P (10 and 3 records) mark a distinct medicinal-adsorbent sub-cluster; C02F, C08G and C07C each appear only marginally.
Shares are the percentage of the 70 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about carbon molecular sieves and adsorbents and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey patents
The most-cited records in this dataset
Representative filing
WO2010137741A1 — Adsorption test method of spherical carbon adsorbent
MITSUBISHI TANABE PHARMA CORPORATION
Filed by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, this record describes a test method for evaluating the adsorption titer, adsorption speed and adsorption selectivity of a spherical carbon adsorbent — specifically Kremezin — against uremic toxins and related compounds in a test solution.This is a method-of-testing claim tied to a specific medicinal carbon adsorbent product, not a composition-of-matter claim on carbon molecular sieves generally.
Highest-citation patent families
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5240474A | Air separation by pressure swing adsorption with a high capacity carbon molecular sieve | 53 |
| 2 | CN103143322A | 一种改性活性炭基汽油脱硫吸附剂的制备方法 | 38 |
| 3 | US5447557A | Oxygen selective adsorbents | 31 |
| 4 | US20130324397A1 | Carbon adsorbent for hydrogen sulfide removal from gases containing same, and regeneration of adsorbent | 17 |
| 5 | CN108499532A | 一种双氧水预氧化废弃果壳的氮掺杂活性炭的制备方法 | 16 |
| 6 | CN103691399A | 用于分离二氧化碳/甲烷的高性能炭分子筛的制备方法 | 16 |
| 7 | US4440551A | Method for the adsorptive removal of hydrogen sulfide from gas mixtures | 16 |
| 8 | JP1991502774A | The removal of the acidic gas using carbon moleculoar sieve amination | 12 |
| 9 | EP0554805A1 | Air separation by pressure swing adsorption with a high capacity carbon molecular sieve | 8 |
| 10 | JP1984183828A | Carbon molecular sieve and production and use thereof | 6 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older filings that have had more time to accumulate references — read them as a signal of influence on the field, not of current commercial relevance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Run it yourself
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Where to run it
For builders
MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →Insights
What the numbers say about this field
Three read-outs from the filing trend, IPC mix and citation data, translated into what they mean for a filing or freedom-to-operate decision.
Filing momentum
Peak 6 (2019)
highest single-year filings
Volume has not grown past its 2019 peak
With a midpoint of 3 filings in 2022 and no year since exceeding the 2019 peak of 6, this is not a field attracting fresh capital at scale. Low absolute volume also means each family carries more relative weight in freedom-to-operate analysis than it would in a high-volume sector.
Source: filing trend, 2017-2026
Technology split
54 + 48 records
B01J and B01D combined
Separation process claims outweigh material claims
B01J and B01D records together dwarf the 31 C01B32 material-composition records, suggesting most claim activity is on how carbon adsorbents are used in a separation process rather than on new carbon materials themselves.
Source: IPC subclass composition
Citation concentration
Cited 53
top record, US5240474A
The most-cited prior art predates the dataset window
The highest-citation record, on high-capacity carbon molecular sieve air separation, sits well ahead of the next tier — a gap that marks it as foundational prior art any new PSA-carbon filing should be checked against.
Source: most-cited records table
Geographic spread
US 16 · CN 14
leading receiving offices
Filing is split across two blocs, not one
The United States and China lead as receiving offices, with Europe, the PCT route, India and Japan each in the single digits — a pattern that argues for checking both US and Chinese prior art before committing to a claim strategy.
Source: receiving offices data
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to carbon molecular sieves and adsorbents, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who is filing, and how active are they now
No assignee in this dataset shows filing activity in the most recent tracked year, which flattens the usual leader-versus-challenger read and points instead to a settled but currently quiet field.
Momentum check
0 in latest year
across all tracked assignees
Every tracked filer has gone quiet
From nanoporous-solutions specialists to industrial gas majors, every assignee tracked for recent-year momentum shows zero filings in the latest year, one of them down -100% year over year. This is consistent with a field where the near-term claim space has already been staked and filers are pausing rather than racing.
Source: recent-year momentum by assignee
Citation leadership
53 citations
US5240474A, air separation PSA carbon
Older air-separation art still anchors the field
The single most-cited record in this dataset concerns pressure-swing air separation using a high-capacity carbon molecular sieve — evidence that the foundational gas-separation mechanism, not a recent variant, still defines the reference point for new filings in this space.
Source: most-cited records table
Collaboration pattern
8 pairs
co-assignee combinations found
Co-filing is limited and mostly single-inventor pairings
Only eight co-assignee pairs appear across the dataset, and the strongest of them link a single corporate assignee to named individual inventors rather than showing multi-company joint development — collaboration in this field is the exception, not the norm.
Source: co-assignee pairs
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Nanoporous Solutions Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation | 0 | — |
| Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Praxair Technology, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Futamura Chemical Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Norgren Limited | 0 | — |
| Calgon Carbon Corporation | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's next
Where to take this analysis
The filing trend and IPC mix point to a field with settled core claims and thinner coverage at the edges. The next step is testing a specific claim idea against that picture.
Check freedom-to-operate against the most-cited art
Before drafting new claims on pore-size tuning or regeneration cycles, run the candidate claim against the highest-citation records identified here, starting with the foundational air-separation PSA patent.
Run a claim check in EurekaMap the under-claimed branches in detail
Attrition resistance and low-pressure nitrogen-oxygen selectivity show thinner filing density than the core separation cluster — worth a targeted search before assuming the space is open.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack assignee reactivation
Every tracked assignee shows zero filings in the latest year; a monitoring alert would catch the first mover if activity resumes.
Set up monitoring in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on carbon molecular sieve patents
In this dataset, carbon molecular sieves are claimed mainly for gas separation — particularly nitrogen-oxygen separation via pressure swing adsorption — as reflected in the dominance of B01J and B01D IPC subclasses. A smaller cluster of filings claims carbon adsorbents for medicinal use, such as oral toxin-adsorbing formulations. The common technical thread across both is control of pore size and adsorption selectivity, which determines how selectively the material captures one gas or molecule over another.
The dataset's recent-year momentum tracking shows several named assignees, including industrial gas and specialty carbon material companies, but every one of them recorded zero filings in the most recent tracked year. This means there is currently no single dominant recent filer; leadership in this field is better read from cumulative citation influence, such as the foundational air-separation patent with 53 citations, than from recent filing counts.
Filing volume peaked at 6 records in 2019 and had fallen to 3 by the 2022 midpoint, with no year since matching the 2019 peak. Combined with zero recent-year filings across all tracked assignees, the evidence points to a flat-to-declining filing trend rather than active growth. Bear in mind that the most recent one to two years are always undercounted because patent publication typically lags filing by around 18 months.
US5240474A, titled 'Air separation by pressure swing adsorption with a high capacity carbon molecular sieve,' is the most-cited record in this dataset at 53 citations, making it a foundational reference for any pressure-swing air separation claim using carbon molecular sieves. New filings claiming similar high-capacity PSA carbon compositions or processes should be checked against its claim scope before drafting. It does not, however, cover medicinal carbon adsorbent uses, which sit in a separate claim tradition within this dataset.
Relative to the dense core cluster around gas separation (B01J, B01D) and base carbon materials (C01B32), sub-areas such as attrition-resistant binder formulations, energy-efficient regeneration cycles, and low-pressure nitrogen-oxygen selectivity tuning show thinner filing density in this dataset. Medicinal carbon adsorbent regeneration and wastewater-grade adsorbent claims are also comparatively under-claimed branches. These are starting points for a more detailed freedom-to-operate search rather than confirmed gaps, since low visible density can also reflect narrow searchability rather than true openness.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Research Carbon Molecular Sieves and Adsorbents in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole carbon molecular sieves and adsorbents corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.