Catalyst Discovery ML Patent Snapshot 2026
Catalyst discovery ML is a nascent, heavily concentrated field where a handful of academic and corporate filers dominate a small corpus; the top five filers account for nearly two-thirds of activity among the hundred largest filers. Annual volume peaked in 2019 and has eased since, with China the dominant filing jurisdiction.
3M Innovative Properties and University of Connecticut share the lead in a tightly held field
The corpus is highly concentrated: 3M Innovative Properties Co and the University of Connecticut are co-ranked first, each with 6 patent records, followed closely by the Governing Council of the University of Toronto at 5 patent records.
The top five filers collectively hold 65% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, a concentration level that leaves limited room for mid-tier challengers and signals high barriers for late entrants without differentiated approaches.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3M Innovative Properties Co | 6 | |
| 2 | University of Connecticut | 6 | |
| 3 | The Governing Council of the University of Toronto | 5 | |
| 4 | Tongji University | 2 | |
| 5 | Zhejiang University of Technology | 1 | |
| 6 | UNIV OF SCI & TECH BEIJING | 1 | |
| 7 | CHINA UNIV OF MINING & TECH | 1 | |
| 8 | Changshu Institute of Technology | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | UNIV OF SCI & TECH OF CHINA | 1 | |
| 10 | Jiangsu Environmental Engineering Technology Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 11 | Zhejiang University | 1 | |
| 12 | GUANGDONG INST OF ECO ENVIRONMENT & SOIL SCI | 1 | |
| 13 | Jinan Weiyang Technology Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 14 | Jiangsu Huaan Petrochemical Technology Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 15 | Nanjing Normal University | 1 | |
| 16 | Southwest Petroleum University | 1 |
The leaders’ positions reflect two distinct strategic orientations — 3M anchors the field in applied catalysis and surface engineering, while the University of Toronto and University of Connecticut drive electrolytic and AI-informed catalyst design — suggesting the IP evidence snapshot is being shaped simultaneously by industrial and academic agendas.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent current activity; apparent softness in 2024–2026 data should not be read as confirmed withdrawal. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2019 burst followed by uneven activity, with catalysis and computational chemistry dominating the technology mix
The filing trend reveals a sharp 2019 spike followed by lower, episodic activity, while the technology composition chart shows that core catalysis (B01J) and computational chemistry (G16C) together account for the majority of IPC classifications.
Annual filing trend
Filings jumped to their highest point in 2019 then fell sharply; modest recovery appeared in 2023–2024, though figures from 2024 onward are subject to publication lag and should be treated as preliminary. The overall recent-window growth is negative at -12%, consistent with a field whose annual volume has eased from its 2019 peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01J (Chemical/physical processes & catalysis) is the visible branch, followed by G16C (Computational chemistry) and G06N (Computing based on AI models), confirming that the filed inventions sit at the intersection of chemistry and machine learning. Lower-share branches such as C23C (Coating & surface deposition), C25B (Electrolytic production of compounds), and H01M (Batteries, cells & fuel cells) indicate selective but real extension into applied electrochemical domains.
↗ 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.
Methods and Apparatus for Making Catalyst Films
The present disclosure provides improved films/coatings (e.g., catalyst films/coatings), and improved assemblies/methods for fabricating such films/coatings. More particularly, the present disclosure provides advantageous assemblies/methods for fabricating or synthesizing catalytic material (e.g., catalytic nanostructures) in flame and depositing the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalyst production process | 97 |
| 2 | Catalyst production process | 26 |
| 3 | Methods and Apparatus for Making Catalyst Films | 20 |
| 4 | Catalyst production process | 11 |
| 5 | 用于燃料电池空气净化的吸附催化材料及其智能设计方法 | 10 |
| 6 | Boron-doped copper catalysts for efficient convers… | 6 |
| 7 | 一种金属有机骨架材料电催化性能描述符的方法 | 6 |
| 8 | Methods and apparatus for making catalyst films | 5 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
3M Innovative Properties Co
3M leads with 6 patent records, concentrated in applied catalysis (B01J 35, B01J 37), coating and surface deposition (C23C 14), and life-safety applications (A62B 23). The portfolio reflects an industrial orientation — translating ML-assisted catalyst design into manufacturable film and coating processes — rather than fundamental computational chemistry. Momentum data does not flag a recent surge, indicating a stable but not accelerating position.
6 patent recordsUniversity of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut matches 3M at 6 patent records, with technology emphasis squarely on core catalysis subclasses (B01J 23, B01J 35, B01J 37). Its academic profile suggests a research-driven pipeline that could license or spin out. Tongji University is identified as a new entrant with 2 recent patent records focused on AI model computation (G06N 20, G06N 3) and computational chemistry (G16C 20), signaling growing Chinese academic interest in the ML layer of catalyst discovery.
6 patent recordsFrequently asked questions
The scoped corpus contains 19 patent families. This is a small corpus consistent with an early-stage field; the low absolute count means individual filings have outsized influence on apparent trends.
3M Innovative Properties Co and the University of Connecticut are co-ranked first with 6 patent records each, followed by the Governing Council of the University of Toronto at 5 patent records. Together, the top five filers account for 65% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query.
China is the leading filing jurisdiction with 14 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) at 6, WIPO (PCT) at 5, the United States at 4, and Canada at 2. The dominance of China reflects the high proportion of Chinese academic institutions in the filer list.
The field is in a Decline stage based on annual filings easing back from the 2019 peak, with a recent-window growth of -12%. However, the most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and may undercount current activity.
Yes. The only documented co-filing pair in the evidence is TotalEnergies and the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, with 5 jointly filed patent records. This industry–academia partnership is focused on electrolytic compound production and core catalysis subclasses.
C25B (Electrolytic production of compounds) and H01M (Batteries, cells & fuel cells) each appear at lower counts and shares relative to the visible B01J and G16C classes. Both have plausible technical connections to ML-assisted catalyst design, particularly for green hydrogen and fuel cell applications, but patent coverage remains sparse.
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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.
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