CDI Electrode Materials Patent Landscape 2026
The CDI electrode materials field encompasses 352 patent families in active growth, with Samsung Electronics holding the largest single position and China accounting for the largest share of filing activity. Competition is moderately concentrated among a handful of corporate and academic filers, but the field remains open enough for new entrants, as evidenced by several top-ranked players classified as new entrants in recent filing periods.
Samsung leads a moderately concentrated field anchored in water treatment
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd ranks first among all applicants, followed by Unilever NV and Unilever PLC — entities whose combined filings reflect a single corporate group’s sustained interest in CDI for consumer water purification. Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC and Enpar Tech round out the top five, illustrating a mix of national-laboratory and specialized-commercial players.
The top five filers account for 27% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate rather than extreme concentration. A meaningful second tier — including Doosan Heavy Industries, Coway, Tongji University, and Stockholm Water Technology — prevents any single actor from dictating the pace of the field.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 43 | |
| 2 | Unilever NV | 35 | |
| 3 | Unilever PLC | 30 | |
| 4 | Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | 24 | |
| 5 | Enpar Technologies Inc | 24 | |
| 6 | DOOSAN HEAVY IND & CONSTR CO LTD | 21 | |
| 7 | Coway Co Ltd | 19 | |
| 8 | Tongji University | 15 | |
| 9 | Stockholm Water Technology AB | 14 | |
| 10 | Siontech Inc | 12 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Voltea BV | 12 | |
| 12 | DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials | 11 | |
| 13 | Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV | 10 | |
| 14 | Koninklijke Philips NV | 10 | |
| 15 | Korea Institute of Energy Research | 9 | |
| 16 | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | 8 | |
| 17 | Changzhou University | 8 | |
| 18 | UT-Battelle LLC | 8 | |
| 19 | Électricité de France (EDF) | 8 | |
| 20 | ABB POWER T&D CO INC | 8 |
Samsung’s position at the apex, reinforced by co-filing relationships with Korea University and Sungkyunkwan University, suggests that the leader is actively building an ecosystem around its electrode technology rather than pursuing purely proprietary isolation.
Figures for 2025 and 2026 reflect only applications published to date and will increase as the patent-office publication pipeline clears; the apparent moderation in those years should not be interpreted as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual filing activity has grown 54% in the recent window, concentrated in water-treatment classes
Two structural features stand out: a multi-year positive growth trajectory and an overwhelming technological anchor in water and wastewater treatment, with capacitor and separation-process classes forming a secondary layer.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 40 records in 2017 to a recorded high of 55 in 2024, with 48 recorded for 2025 and only 7 for 2026 — the latter two years are substantially under-counted due to publication lag and should not be read as a reversal. The 54% recent-window growth confirms the field is in an active expansion phase.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C02F (water and wastewater treatment) dominates the IPC distribution by a wide margin, consistent with CDI’s primary commercial application in desalination and water softening. H01G (capacitors) and B01D (separation processes) form a secondary cluster, reflecting the electrochemical and membrane-hybrid dimensions of CDI electrode research. Smaller shares in C01B (inorganic compounds), C25B (electrolytic production), and H01M (batteries and fuel cells) point to adjacencies in materials synthesis and energy-storage crossover.
↗ 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.
Bimetallic Metal-Organic Framework Electrode Mater…
The present invention relates to the field of water treatment technology, and specifically relates to a bimetallic organic framework electrode material based on a deep eutectic solvent. The electrode material is prepared by mixing a deep eutectic solvent with water, a soluble iron salt and a soluble nickel salt, dissolving by sonication, adding activated… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method and apparatus for capacitive deionization a… | 368 |
| 2 | Method and apparatus for capacitive deionization, … | 301 |
| 3 | Method and apparatus for capacitive deionization a… | 267 |
| 4 | Method and apparatus for integrated water deioniza… | 143 |
| 5 | Replaceable flow-through capacitors for removing c… | 138 |
| 6 | Apparatus for integrated water deionization, elect… | 130 |
| 7 | Alternating-polarity operation for complete regene… | 105 |
| 8 | Polarized Electrode for Flow-through Capacitive De… | 76 |
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 active growth, moderate concentration, and a dominant water-treatment orientation creates a landscape where both incremental electrode improvements and cross-domain technical transfers can find uncontested space.
Growth stage with annual filings still rising
The lifecycle evidence classifies CDI electrode materials as a Growth-stage field, with annual filings still rising and recent years understated by publication lag. The 54% growth in the recent window reinforces this read. Entrants who establish IP positions now do so before the field consolidates into a mature, heavily defended state.
Growth stageModerate concentration with an accessible second tier
The top five filers hold 27% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output — meaningful but not monopolistic. A dense second tier of corporate, national-laboratory, and university filers (Doosan, Coway, Tongji University, Stockholm Water Technology, Lawrence Livermore) means that competition is distributed across multiple technology approaches and that no single player controls a decisive share of the electrode-materials solution space.
Moderate concentrationUnilever entities and Samsung anchor the co-filing network
The most active co-filing pair is Unilever NV and Unilever PLC, sharing 17 joint filings — reflecting coordinated portfolio management across the group’s legal entities, with Conopco Inc. appearing in four joint filings with each. Samsung Electronics co-files with Korea University Research & Business Foundation and Sungkyunkwan University (two joint filings each), and once each with Hanyang Cleantech and Pohang University of Science and Technology, signalling an industry-academia bridge strategy for electrode material development.
Co-filing networkChina leads by patent-record volume; the US and EPO are essential secondary markets
China accounts for the largest single-jurisdiction volume, followed by the United States and Europe (EPO). WIPO PCT filings indicate applicants seeking broad international coverage. South Korea and India also appear as notable jurisdictions, consistent with the Korean corporate leaders and Unilever’s presence in the Indian market. Coverage in Australia, Canada, and Israel rounds out the commercially significant filing map.
China-led geographyGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unilever NV | Unilever PLC | 17 |
| Unilever NV | Conopco Inc (Unilever) | 4 |
| Unilever PLC | Conopco Inc (Unilever) | 4 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Korea University Research & Business Foundation | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Sungkyunkwan University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | 2 |
| Unilever NV | Hindustan Unilever Limited | 2 |
| Unilever PLC | Hindustan Unilever Limited | 2 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Hanyang Cleantech Co Ltd | 1 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Pohang University of Science and Technology Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | 1 |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | JEONBUK NAT UNIV IND FOUND | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Samsung Electronics leads; Unilever group holds the largest collective position
The top two corporate actors differ sharply in strategic logic: Samsung pursues electrode and electrolytic production IP with a manufacturing orientation, while the Unilever group stacks water-treatment and capacitor filings in support of consumer appliance goals.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Samsung Electronics holds 43 patent records, the highest single-entity count in the corpus. Its technology focus centres on C02F 1 (water and wastewater treatment, 43 records), with secondary emphasis on C25B 11 and C25B 9 (electrolytic production of compounds, 5 records each), signalling interest in both the application layer and the underlying electrochemical fabrication. Momentum is classified as a new entrant in the most recent filing period, indicating concentrated recent-period activity rather than a long legacy position.
patent records: 43Unilever NV
Unilever NV holds 35 patent records and, when combined with its affiliated entity Unilever PLC (30 records), the group represents the largest collective position in the field. Its technology emphasis spans C02F 1 (water treatment, 36 records), H01G 9 (capacitors, 10 records), and H01M 4 (batteries and fuel cells, 10 records) — a broader cross-domain profile than Samsung’s. The group’s co-filing with Hindustan Unilever Limited suggests a strategy tailored to emerging-market water-quality needs. Momentum data is not separately provided for the Unilever NV entity in the recent-period tracking.
patent records: 35| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tongji University | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Stockholm Water Technology AB | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the CDI electrode core
Several IPC branches appear in the corpus at lower share levels relative to the dominant C02F anchor. These represent observations of relative sparsity; those with clear technical linkage to CDI electrode function are noted below as worth monitoring.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
C25B accounts for 55 patent records — a 4% share relative to the dominant C02F branch. It covers the electrolytic processes that underpin electrode fabrication and surface treatment, meaning advances here directly affect CDI electrode performance. The sparse relative coverage, combined with Samsung’s secondary positioning in C25B 11 and C25B 9, suggests that electrode manufacturing process IP is less intensively contested than end-application IP — a potential entry path for materials or equipment specialists.
Search this in Eureka →H01M · Batteries, cells & fuel cells
H01M appears at 49 patent records (4% share), reflecting crossover between CDI electrode materials and energy-storage electrode science — particularly carbon and pseudocapacitive materials common to both domains. Unilever’s secondary focus in H01M 4 is the only evident corporate commitment in this crossover zone. For R&D teams already working in battery or supercapacitor electrode materials, this adjacency represents a technically plausible extension with limited incumbent density specifically in the CDI context.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route across CDI electrode classes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | C02F 1 · Water & wastewater treatment | C02F 103 · Water & wastewater treatment | C02F 101 · Water & wastewater treatment | H01G 11 · Capacitors | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unilever NV | Strong · 36 | Emerging · 7 | Emerging · 7 | Emerging · 7 | Absent |
| Unilever PLC | Strong · 31 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 5 | Moderate · 9 | Absent |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Strong · 43 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co Ltd | Strong · 21 | Moderate · 7 | Emerging · 3 | Moderate · 5 | Absent |
| Regents of the University of California | Strong · 18 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 12 | Absent |
| Enpar Technologies Inc | Strong · 22 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | Strong · 14 | Absent | Moderate · 3 | Absent | Moderate · 5 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus comprises 352 patent families in scope globally. This figure covers families identified through the CDI electrode materials search; individual applicant rankings are measured in patent records, which can differ from the family count.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd holds the highest single-entity count at 43 patent records. The Unilever group (Unilever NV with 35 and Unilever PLC with 30 patent records) represents the largest combined corporate position.
China leads with 212 patent records, followed by the United States at 151 and Europe (EPO) at 101. WIPO PCT filings stand at 59, reflecting applicants pursuing broad international coverage.
The field is classified as Growth stage. Annual filings are still rising and the recent-window growth stands at 54%. The most recent years (2025–2026) are understated due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a slowdown.
C02F (water and wastewater treatment) dominates by a wide margin. H01G (capacitors) and B01D (separation processes) form the secondary cluster. C01B, C25B, H01M, and B01J represent smaller but technically meaningful adjacent classes.
Yes. The most active co-filing pair is Unilever NV and Unilever PLC with 17 joint filings, reflecting coordinated portfolio management. Samsung Electronics co-files with Korea University Research & Business Foundation and Sungkyunkwan University (2 joint filings each), as well as with Hanyang Cleantech and Pohang University of Science and Technology.
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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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