Direct Methanol Fuel Cell for Desalination Plants Patent Landscape
Direct Methanol Fuel Cell for Desalination Plants Patent Landscape in 2026
This is a small, mature niche: 31 patent families in scope, dominated by materials specialists — AGC Inc and Victrex Manufacturing — whose membrane and polymer expertise accounts for the field’s core IP. Filing activity peaked in 2017 and has since eased, placing the field in a decline stage with the United States as the primary filing jurisdiction.
AGC Inc leads a concentrated, specialist-driven field
AGC Inc holds the top position with 45 patent records, well ahead of second-ranked Victrex Manufacturing Ltd at 28 patent records — a lead that reflects AGC’s deep focus on fuel-cell membranes and conductor materials.
The top five filers account for 40% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signaling meaningful concentration at the top while a long tail of academic and smaller industrial players fills the remainder of the ranking.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AGC Inc | 45 | |
| 2 | Victrex Manufacturing Ltd | 28 | |
| 3 | UOP LLC | 9 | |
| 4 | Ballard Power Systems Inc | 8 | |
| 5 | Evoqua Water Technologies LLC | 7 | |
| 6 | Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc | 7 | |
| 7 | DOOSAN HEAVY IND & CONSTR CO LTD | 6 | |
| 8 | Battelle Memorial Institute | 6 | |
| 9 | Foster Miller Inc | 5 | |
| 10 | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Reveo Inc | 4 | |
| 12 | Kolon Industries Inc | 4 | |
| 13 | University of Warwick | 4 | |
| 14 | Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 4 | |
| 15 | Diamond Gold Investors LLC | 3 | |
| 16 | NUtech Ventures Ltd | 3 | |
| 17 | Akermin Inc | 3 | |
| 18 | ZAWODZINSKI TOM A JR | 3 | |
| 19 | LOCKLEY JOHN EDWARD | 3 | |
| 20 | Toray Industries Inc | 3 |
The dominance of two materials-focused incumbents — AGC and Victrex — suggests that new entrants face a high IP density in polymer electrolyte membrane technology, and would need to differentiate on adjacent chemistry or application-specific integration to find clear filing space.
Patent records filed in the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and are likely under-counted; the apparent absence of filings in 2023 and near-zero counts in 2024–2025 should be interpreted cautiously.
A 2017 peak, polymer-heavy IP mix, and sparse water-treatment coverage
The filing trend reveals a burst of activity around 2017 followed by irregular and declining volumes, while the technology composition is dominated by fuel-cell and polymer classes with water-treatment classifications notably thin.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked at 11 in 2017, fell to zero in 2018, recovered to 10 in 2021, then trended down again through 2022–2025. The most recent years (2023–2025) show near-zero counts consistent with both the decline stage and expected publication lag; treat those data points as a floor, not a confirmed trend.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) is the dominant IPC class with 195 patent records, followed by polymer-processing and separation classes. By contrast, C02F (water and wastewater treatment) — the class most directly tied to desalination plant integration — appears with only 12 patent records, confirming that most IP addresses the fuel-cell materials layer rather than the desalination application layer.
↗ 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.
An electrolyte membrane for use in an electrochemi…
An electrolyte membrane suitable for use in an electrochemical cell is described. It comprises a polymer electrolyte body and at least one metal oxide thin film layer on at least one surface of the polymer electrolyte body, wherein said metal oxide thin film layer is permeable to protons. Furthermore, the method for preparation and uses thereof are… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graft polymeric membranes and ion-exchange membran… | 97 |
| 2 | Modification of engineering-polymers with basic n … | 87 |
| 3 | Clean steel production process using carbon-free r… | 78 |
| 4 | Composite ion-exchange membranes | 60 |
| 5 | Blend Polymer Membranes Comprising Thermally Rearr… | 53 |
| 6 | Ion conductive polymer electrolyte and its membran… | 43 |
| 7 | Modification of polymers with basic N-groups and i… | 42 |
| 8 | Novel ion-conducting materials suitable for use in… | 41 |
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 IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of a decline life-cycle stage, high top-tier concentration, and thin application-layer coverage shapes where new R&D investment is likely to find freedom to operate versus where it will face incumbent density.
Field in decline from a 2017 peak
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2017 peak of 11 records and a recent-window growth rate of –42%. This pattern suggests the foundational IP layer — primarily polymer electrolyte membranes — has reached saturation, and incremental membrane patents are unlikely to represent a differentiated position. R&D teams should assess whether their prospective filings land in already-crowded H01M or C08J space before committing resources.
Lifecycle: DeclineTwo incumbents control the membrane IP core
AGC Inc (45 patent records) and Victrex Manufacturing Ltd (28 patent records) together represent a substantial share of the top-100 filers’ combined records, and both focus heavily on H01M and polymer classes. The remaining ranked filers are mostly single-digit contributors. This tier gap means freedom-to-operate in core proton-exchange membrane chemistries is constrained, while adjacent formulation and integration classes remain more accessible.
High concentrationOne active co-filing pair: HARING THOMAS and Stuttgart University
The only identified co-applicant pair in the evidence is HARING THOMAS and Stuttgart University, with 5 jointly filed records — reflecting a researcher-university collaboration typical of early-stage applied science. No industrial joint ventures or cross-sector co-filing clusters are evident, suggesting the ecosystem has not yet formed the collaborative structures common in more commercially mature clean-energy niches.
Thin collaboration networkUS and EPO dominate; Asia and desalination-market jurisdictions are sparse
The United States leads with 58 patent records and Europe (EPO) follows with 54, with WIPO PCT at 28 providing some global coverage. Notably, jurisdictions where large-scale desalination is commercially active — such as the Middle East — are absent from the filing map, and China appears with only 1 patent record. This geographic mismatch between IP concentration and end-market location is an observable structural gap.
US/EPO-centricGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| HARING THOMAS | University of Stuttgart | 5 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
AGC Inc and Victrex Manufacturing: membrane specialists at the top
The two leading filers are both advanced materials companies whose core expertise in fluoropolymer and polyaryletherketone membranes maps directly onto the proton-exchange membrane requirements of direct methanol fuel cells.
AGC Inc
AGC Inc (formerly Asahi Glass) leads with 45 patent records, concentrated in H01M (fuel cells and batteries), H01B (conductors and insulators), and H01M4 subclasses — reflecting a vertically integrated membrane and electrode materials strategy. No momentum data is reported for AGC in the recent-window analysis, consistent with its long-established position rather than a surge of new activity.
patent records: 45Victrex Manufacturing Ltd
Victrex Manufacturing Ltd ranks second with 28 patent records, with technology emphasis spanning H01M (fuel cells), C08G65 (condensation polymers), and C08J5 (polymer processing and solutions) — a profile consistent with its PEEK-based polymer membrane business. Like AGC, no recent-window momentum shift is reported, suggesting a stable rather than accelerating filing posture.
patent records: 28| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| University of Stuttgart | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served IPC branches adjacent to the dominant membrane core
Several IPC branches appear in the corpus with moderate record counts but low share relative to the dominant H01M class, indicating areas where filing density is lower and technical differentiation may be more achievable.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
C25B appears with 46 patent records and a 6% share of the IPC distribution — relatively sparse given its direct relevance to electrochemical desalination and chlor-alkali membrane processes that share membrane materials with DMFC systems. An entrant with expertise in electrolytic cell design or bipolar membrane integration could stake out positions in this branch without immediately confronting the dense H01M incumbent landscape. Entry would require demonstrating crossover applicability to the desalination process context.
Search this in Eureka →C02F · Water and wastewater treatment
C02F (water and wastewater treatment) holds only 12 patent records in this corpus — strikingly low given that the topic is explicitly scoped to desalination plant applications. This sparsity suggests that integration-level patents combining DMFC power generation with desalination process engineering are largely absent. A team capable of co-optimizing methanol oxidation byproduct handling, water recovery loops, or brine management within a fuel-cell-powered desalination system could find meaningful white space here, provided the claims are anchored to the process integration rather than the membrane materials already claimed.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 8 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C08J 5 · Polymer processing & solutions | H01B 1 · Cables, conductors & insulators | B01D 71 · Separation processes (filtration etc.) | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGC Inc | Strong · 45 | Moderate · 13 | Strong · 37 | Emerging · 4 | Strong · 32 |
| Victrex Manufacturing Ltd | Strong · 28 | Strong · 21 | Moderate · 11 | Moderate · 9 | Absent |
| University of Stuttgart | Strong · 15 | Strong · 15 | Strong · 10 | Strong · 10 | Absent |
| Ballard Power Systems Inc | Strong · 10 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Strong · 10 | Absent |
| HARING THOMAS | Strong · 8 | Strong · 8 | Moderate · 4 | Moderate · 4 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 31 patent families in scope. This is a small, specialist niche; the total patent record count across jurisdictions and IPC classes is larger because individual families are filed in multiple offices and assigned to multiple technology classes.
AGC Inc leads the ranking with 45 patent records, followed by Victrex Manufacturing Ltd with 28 patent records. Both are advanced materials companies whose core competency is polymer electrolyte membranes.
The field is classified as Decline. Annual filings peaked in 2017 at 11 records and have eased substantially since, with a recent-window growth rate of -42%. This indicates the foundational IP layer has matured and new incremental filings are slowing.
The United States leads with 58 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 54 and WIPO (PCT) with 28. Canada and Australia each have around 14–15 records. Jurisdictions associated with large commercial desalination markets — such as Middle Eastern countries — are not represented in the evidence.
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) dominates with 195 patent records, followed by C08J (polymer processing and solutions) at 94 and B01D (separation processes) at 81. By contrast, C02F (water and wastewater treatment) — the class most directly relevant to desalination plant integration — appears with only 12 patent records.
The only identified co-applicant collaboration in the evidence is between HARING THOMAS and Stuttgart University, with 5 jointly filed records. No industrial joint ventures or multi-party consortia are evident, suggesting the ecosystem remains largely siloed between individual companies and isolated academic partnerships.
Map your own position in the DMFC desalination patent landscape
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
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.