Patent Landscape: Catalytic Efficiency (TOF/Selectivity)
The catalytic efficiency (TOF/selectivity) space is highly concentrated, with Johnson Matthey and a small cluster of specialty chemical and emissions-control players holding dominant positions. Activity has plateaued near its 2017 peak on a multi-year basis, signalling a mature field where incumbent IP portfolios present high barriers to entry.
Johnson Matthey leads a tightly held field
Johnson Matthey PLC ranks first with 79 patent records, followed by Engelhard Corp (31) and BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC (30) — together these three account for the bulk of top-tier activity in catalytic efficiency.
The top five filers hold 43% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers, indicating strong concentration at the apex while a long tail of academic and smaller commercial entrants occupies the mid-ranks.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson Matthey PLC | 79 | |
| 2 | Engelhard Corporation | 31 | |
| 3 | BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC | 30 | |
| 4 | Mazda Motor Corporation | 9 | |
| 5 | Shenyang University of Chemical Technology | 8 | |
| 6 | Shandong Shida Shenghua Chemical Group | 8 | |
| 7 | Corning Incorporated | 8 | |
| 8 | Tufts University | 8 | |
| 9 | CompactGTL Limited | 7 | |
| 10 | University of Toronto | 7 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Blackleaf | 6 | |
| 12 | Badger Licensing LLC | 6 | |
| 13 | Lummus Technology Inc. | 6 | |
| 14 | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 6 | |
| 15 | Nanyang Technological University | 5 | |
| 16 | Solvay Specialty Polymers Italy S.p.A. | 5 | |
| 17 | BASF Catalysts LLC | 4 | |
| 18 | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | 4 | |
| 19 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 4 | |
| 20 | University of Illinois Board of Trustees | 4 |
The leaders’ positions are anchored in exhaust-treatment and heterogeneous-catalysis IP (B01J and F01N classes), suggesting that durable competitive advantage in this field flows from deep materials and formulation know-how rather than platform breadth.
Filing data for the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent actual activity; apparent softness in 2025–2026 should not be read as a structural decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A plateaued filing rate and a catalysis-dominated technology mix
Two charts together characterise the competitive dynamics: the annual filing trend reveals a field that peaked around 2017 and has since settled into a lower but persistent plateau, while the technology-class breakdown shows one class overwhelming all others.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked at 33 records in 2017 and have oscillated at lower levels since, consistent with a mature field rather than a growing one. The 2025–2026 bars will rise as pending publications clear; treat them as floors, not ceilings.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) dominates the technology mix by a wide margin, followed by B01D (separation processes) and F01N (exhaust treatment). This hierarchy reflects the field’s practical centre of gravity in heterogeneous catalysis and emissions control, with secondary clusters in organic chemistry (C07C) and inorganic compounds (C01B).
↗ 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.
Solid-supported palladium (II) complex as a hetero…
A solid-supported catalyst ligand which chelates palladium (II) species to form a complex that functions as a heterogeneous catalyst that is stable and can be recycled without significantly losing any catalytic activity in a variety of chemical transformations, a method for producing the solid-supported catalyst ligand and a method for catalyzing a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Layered catalyst composition | 178 |
| 2 | Gasoline Engine Emissions Treatment Systems Having… | 141 |
| 3 | Zeolite-containing oxidation catalyst and method o… | 139 |
| 4 | Zeolite-containing oxidation catalyst and method o… | 121 |
| 5 | High performance thermally stable catalyst | 113 |
| 6 | Catalyst manufacturing method | 98 |
| 7 | Palladium containing ceria-supported platinum cata… | 95 |
| 8 | Layered Diesel Oxidation Catalyst Composites | 94 |
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 patent structure means for R&D investment
The combination of high concentration, a mature lifecycle, and specific collaboration patterns points to a field where incremental improvement paths are mostly claimed and novel entry requires deliberate positioning in adjacent or emerging sub-domains.
Field has plateaued near its 2017 peak
The lifecycle stage is classified as Maturity, with annual filings having plateaued near their 2017 peak. On a multi-year basis, 12% recent growth is still positive, but the annual trend has eased substantially from that peak. R&D investment should focus on differentiation within well-claimed spaces or pivot toward adjacent branches where density is lower.
Lifecycle: MatureThree incumbents hold the dominant IP positions
Johnson Matthey (79 patent records), Engelhard Corp (31), and BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC (30) create a pronounced top tier. The gap between third and fourth place (Mazda Motor Corp, 9 records) is large, implying that challenging the leaders requires either a disruptive technical approach or deep specialisation in a sub-class they have not fully addressed.
High concentrationBASF entities are the most active co-filers; one academic–industry pair also active
The most active co-filing relationship is between BASF SE and BASF SE parent entity with 22 joint filings, reflecting intra-group coordination rather than external partnership. Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology and Shandong Shida Shenghua Chem Group have filed 4 joint records, representing the most visible academic–industry collaboration pair in the dataset.
Intra-group dominantUS and EPO lead; China and India are secondary but growing
The United States leads jurisdiction coverage with 115 patent records, followed by EPO (89) and WIPO/PCT (52). China (37) and India (36) rank fourth and fifth, suggesting that leading filers regard these markets as commercially relevant but have not yet filed there at the same intensity as Western jurisdictions. Japan (4) and South Korea (2) are notably sparse given their general catalyst R&D strength.
US–EPO dominantGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BASF SE | BASF SE | 22 |
| Shenyang University of Chemical Technology | Shandong Shida Shenghua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. | 4 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Johnson Matthey versus an emerging Corning challenge
The rankings reveal a clear leader in Johnson Matthey with deep heterogeneous-catalysis and separation IP, while Corning Inc is identified as a new entrant by recent momentum, concentrating on structural catalyst supports and separation processes.
Johnson Matthey PLC
Johnson Matthey leads with 79 patent records, the largest portfolio in scope by a wide margin. Its technology emphasis spans B01J 35 (catalyst structure/physical form), B01J 23 (metal-based heterogeneous catalysts), and B01D 53 (gas-separation and emission control) — a combination that covers the full catalyst design and deployment chain. Momentum data shows the entity as a new entrant in the most recent filing window, indicating renewed activity after a quiet period.
patent records: 79Corning Inc
Corning Inc holds 8 patent records and is flagged as a new entrant in the recent filing window, suggesting it is building a catalytic-efficiency position from a small prior base. Its filings concentrate on B01D 53 (separation), B01J 35 (catalyst physical structure), and B01J 37 (catalyst preparation), consistent with Corning’s established strength in structured ceramic substrates and filter media for emissions and process catalysis.
patent records: 8| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson Matthey PLC | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Corning Incorporated | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the catalysis core
Several IPC classes appear at low density relative to the dominant B01J core, representing areas where catalytic efficiency principles could be applied but where incumbent filings are sparse. These are observations of relative sparsity; commercial opportunity depends on technical fit and freedom-to-operate assessment.
H01M · Batteries, cells & fuel cells
H01M accounts for only 25 patent records in this corpus — roughly 2% of the technology-class distribution — despite the clear relevance of turnover frequency and selectivity to electrocatalysis in fuel cells and electrolysers. The technical path is plausible: catalyst layer design for oxygen-reduction and hydrogen-evolution reactions draws directly on heterogeneous-catalysis know-how. Entry would likely need to differentiate from broader fuel-cell catalyst IP filed outside this corpus.
Search this in Eureka →C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) appears in only 16 patent records here, a roughly 1% share of the class distribution, even though electrochemical selectivity — controlling which product forms at an electrode — is a direct analogue of thermal-catalysis selectivity. Green-hydrogen and CO2-electroreduction applications create a credible entry rationale, and the low incumbent density in this corpus suggests limited overlap with established positions in the B01J-anchored core.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants diverge by technology sub-class
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B01J 23 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 35 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 37 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01D 53 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | F01N 3 · Exhaust silencers & treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASF SE | Strong · 73 | Strong · 59 | Strong · 44 | Strong · 53 | Strong · 64 |
| Johnson Matthey PLC | Strong · 56 | Strong · 68 | Moderate · 25 | Strong · 43 | Moderate · 34 |
| Engelhard Corporation | Strong · 31 | Moderate · 13 | Strong · 30 | Strong · 35 | Emerging · 5 |
| BASF SE | Strong · 19 | Strong · 14 | Moderate · 8 | Strong · 17 | Strong · 23 |
| Mazda Motor Corporation | Strong · 9 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 |
| Corning Incorporated | Absent | Strong · 8 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 8 | Moderate · 3 |
Frequently asked questions
Johnson Matthey PLC leads with 79 patent records, more than twice the count of the second-ranked applicant, Engelhard Corp (31 records). The gap underscores Johnson Matthey’s long-standing specialisation in precious-metal and structured catalysts.
Filings peaked at 33 records in 2017 and have since plateaued at lower annual levels. A 12% growth figure on a recent multi-year window indicates the field has not collapsed, but the annual rate has eased from its 2017 high. Data for 2025 and 2026 are subject to publication lag and will revise upward.
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) is dominant by a wide margin. B01D (separation processes), F01N (exhaust treatment), and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) form a secondary tier. Classes such as H01M (fuel cells) and C25B (electrolytic production) are present but sparse.
The United States leads with 115 patent records, followed by EPO (89) and WIPO/PCT (52). China (37) and India (36) rank next, while Japan (4) and South Korea (2) are notably under-represented relative to their general catalyst R&D output.
The most active co-filing pair is BASF SE and its parent entity, with 22 joint records — this reflects intra-group coordination rather than external partnership. Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology and Shandong Shida Shenghua Chem Group have 4 joint filings, the most visible academic–industry collaboration pair identified.
The adjacent branches H01M (batteries and fuel cells) and C25B (electrolytic production) each appear at low density in this corpus — roughly 2% and 1% of the class distribution respectively — while being technically adjacent to the core B01J catalysis domain. Electrocatalysis for green hydrogen and CO2 reduction are plausible entry areas, though freedom-to-operate analysis against broader electrocatalysis IP is a prerequisite.
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