EDLC/Supercapacitor Manufacturing Patent Landscape
The Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology holds a commanding lead in a moderately concentrated field of 929 patent families, with South Korea and China accounting for the largest filing volumes. Annual activity has plateaued near its 2017 peak, signaling a maturing technology where differentiation increasingly shifts to materials chemistry and nanotechnology-enabled electrode designs.
Korean institutes dominate a moderately concentrated field
The Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology leads all applicants with 72 patent families, more than twice the count of the second-ranked Panasonic Holdings Corporation at 33 patent families. Korean research organizations claim four of the top six positions, reinforcing the country’s institutional grip on the field.
The top five filers together account for 20% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate concentration — a meaningful lead cluster exists, but the field remains open enough for challengers. A clear tier gap separates the top institute from the pack below rank two.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KOREA INST OF CERAMIC ENG & TECH | 72 | |
| 2 | Panasonic Holdings Corporation | 33 | |
| 3 | Nanotek Instruments Group LLC | 31 | |
| 4 | Regents of the University of California | 27 | |
| 5 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 24 | |
| 6 | KOREA UNIV RES & BUSINESS FOUND | 24 | |
| 7 | Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation | 23 | |
| 8 | NEC Corporation | 21 | |
| 9 | Corning Incorporated | 20 | |
| 10 | Korea Institute of Energy Research | 18 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Gyeongsang National University | 15 | |
| 12 | Tokin Corporation | 15 | |
| 13 | Ioxus Inc. | 15 | |
| 14 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 14 | |
| 15 | KOREA INST OF SCI & TECH | 14 | |
| 16 | University Industry Cooperation Group of Kyung Hee University | 13 | |
| 17 | JB Est Co., Ltd. | 13 | |
| 18 | UNIST (ULSAN NAT INST OF SCI & TECH) | 12 | |
| 19 | Systematic Power Manufacturing LLC | 12 | |
| 20 | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 12 |
The leader’s dominance stems from a deliberate institutional research mandate rather than a single commercial product line, which means its portfolio breadth in H01G capacitor and C01B inorganic-compound classes is largely defensive and publication-driven. Commercial players such as Panasonic Holdings and Honda Motor sit in the second tier but hold highly focused portfolios.
Filing counts for 2024–2026 reflect publication lag and should be treated as undercounts; no conclusions about recent deceleration should be drawn from those years alone. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity has plateaued near its 2017 peak; H01G dominates the technology mix
Two charts frame the competitive context: the annual filing trend reveals a field that peaked in 2017 and has since held a broadly stable plateau, while the IPC composition shows that core capacitor engineering (H01G) commands the bulk of activity with secondary clusters in materials chemistry and nanotechnology.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked at 138 patent families in 2017 and then settled into a range of roughly 98–109 per year through 2021–2025, consistent with a mature, plateau-stage field. The 2024 and 2026 bars are partial due to publication lag and should not be read as real declines.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01G (Capacitors) is the dominant IPC class by a wide margin, reflecting direct device engineering. C01B (Non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds) and H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells) form a secondary cluster, pointing to carbon-material synthesis and hybrid energy-storage crossover work. B82Y (Nanotechnology applications) represents a smaller but technically significant share, concentrated among university and US-based filers.
↗ 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.
Electric double-layer capacitor and its manufactur…
An electric double-layer capacitor capable of maintaining a low leakage current over a long period of time even in a high temperature range, having high reliability in the high temperature range, and thereby making it possible to extend the life of an apparatus using the electric double-layer capacitor is provided. Further, a method for manufacturing such… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Process for producing graphene foam supercapacitor… | 101 |
| 2 | Metal oxide electrode for supercapacitor and manuf… | 86 |
| 3 | Active carbon electrode and its manufacturing meth… | 77 |
| 4 | Conductive slurry, electrode slurry and electrode … | 76 |
| 5 | Production process for a supercapacitor having a h… | 75 |
| 6 | Electrodes having multi layered structure and supe… | 75 |
| 7 | Ingredient composition of carbon material for elec… | 71 |
| 8 | Metal oxide electrode for supercapacitor and manuf… | 60 |
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
Four structural observations — maturity stage, concentration, collaboration patterns, and geography — shape the risk and opportunity profile for any organization evaluating entry or expansion in EDLC/supercapacitor manufacturing.
Plateau stage: stable volume, rising materials complexity
The field is classified as Mature, with annual filings plateaued near the 2017 peak rather than still climbing. Core capacitor engineering is well-covered, so incremental device patents face crowded art. Differentiation opportunity lies in adjacent materials branches — carbon synthesis, metal-oxide electrodes, and nanotechnology-enabled structures — where claim density is comparatively lower.
Mature / PlateauModerate concentration with an outsized institutional leader
The top five filers hold 20% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, a level that signals moderate concentration rather than an oligopoly. The Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology’s 72-family lead is primarily institutional-research driven, leaving space for commercially oriented challengers — particularly in process engineering and module-level integration — where the leader’s portfolio is thinner.
Moderate HHIHonda–Kuraray Chemical and NEC–JST are the most active co-filing pairs
The most frequent co-applicant pair is Honda Motor and Kuraray Chemical, with 11 joint families — the largest collaboration count in the dataset. NEC Corporation and the Japan Science and Technology Agency account for 6 joint families, reflecting an industry–government research model. The Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology co-files with the Rural Development Administration of Korea (4 families) and Vinatech (3 families), suggesting targeted application-area partnerships rather than broad alliances.
Industry–academiaSouth Korea leads by filing volume; China and the US are near-equal challengers
South Korea is the lead jurisdiction with 393 patent records, followed closely by China at 354 and the United States at 315. Japan and India each represent meaningful secondary clusters. Europe via the EPO and WIPO PCT filings are comparatively sparse, suggesting most applicants currently protect primarily in domestic and key trading markets rather than pursuing broad international coverage.
KR / CN / US triangleGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Kuraray Chemical Co., Ltd. | 11 |
| NEC Corporation | Japan Science and Technology Agency | 6 |
| Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology | Rural Development Administration of Korea | 4 |
| Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology | Vinatech Co., Ltd. | 3 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | DAIDO METAL CO LTD | 2 |
| Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology | Korchip Corporation | 1 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Kuraray Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | TDK Corporation | 1 |
| NEC Corporation | Daido Steel Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| NEC Corporation | Tokin Corporation | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology leads; Panasonic and Nanotek Instruments follow
The leader holds a portfolio roughly twice the size of its nearest commercial rival, built almost entirely on H01G capacitor and C01B inorganic-compound classes. The second and third tiers are occupied by a mix of Japanese electronics majors and US materials-focused innovators.
Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology
Holds 72 patent families — the largest portfolio in the corpus. Its technical focus is concentrated in H01G 11 (70 records) and C01B 32 inorganic compounds (18 records), reflecting a breadth-first institutional research strategy. Recent momentum has declined sharply (down approximately 78% in the most recent period), consistent with a mature institute shifting from volume filing to selective prosecution.
patent families: 72Panasonic Holdings Corporation
Holds 33 patent families, split across H01G 11 (33 records) and H01G 9 (31 records), indicating deep dual-class coverage of both electric double-layer and electrolytic capacitor architectures. As a commercial manufacturer, its portfolio is more product-oriented than the leader’s research-driven filings, making it the strongest industrial benchmark in the dataset.
patent families: 33| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology | 4 | ▼ -78% |
| Regents of the University of California | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| 高丽大学校产学协力团 | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches in materials chemistry and nanotechnology
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H01G core show comparatively low filing density relative to their technical relevance to supercapacitor performance. These observations highlight areas where the corpus thins out — they are not validated commercial opportunities but warrant monitoring.
B82Y · Nanotechnology Applications
With 106 patent records and a 4% share of IPC classifications, nanotechnology applications represent the smallest of the secondary clusters relative to the technical importance of nano-structured carbons, graphene, and metal-oxide nanoparticles in electrode performance. Filing is concentrated among university applicants — particularly the Regents of the University of California — rather than commercial manufacturers, suggesting that nano-enabled electrode manufacturing processes remain an area where industrial entrants could establish early positions.
Search this in Eureka →B01J · Chemical/Physical Processes and Catalysis
At 35 patent records and a 1% share, chemical and physical process engineering for supercapacitor electrode synthesis is notably sparse. Ioxus Inc. is among the few applicants active in this branch. Process patents covering activation, templating, and surface-area engineering of carbon electrodes could provide defensible positions with broad applicability across device architectures, and the thin filing density makes freedom-to-operate conditions comparatively favorable.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01G 11 · Capacitors | H01G 9 · Capacitors | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology | Strong · 70 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 18 | Absent |
| Panasonic Holdings Corporation | Strong · 33 | Strong · 31 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| NEC Corporation | Strong · 23 | Strong · 22 | Moderate · 8 | Absent | Absent |
| Regents of the University of California | Strong · 28 | Absent | Moderate · 6 | Moderate · 9 | Moderate · 6 |
| Nanotek Instruments Group LLC | Strong · 28 | Absent | Moderate · 7 | Emerging · 4 | Moderate · 6 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Strong · 25 | Strong · 20 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation | Strong · 21 | Moderate · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 929 patent families in scope. South Korea is the lead filing jurisdiction, followed closely by China and the United States.
The Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology leads with 72 patent families, more than double the count of the next-ranked applicant, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, at 33 patent families.
The field is classified as Mature. Annual filings peaked at 138 patent families in 2017 and have since plateaued in the range of roughly 98–109 per year. The most recent years (2024–2026) appear lower due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a real decline.
H01G (Capacitors) is the dominant branch by a wide margin. C01B (Non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds) and H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells) form a secondary cluster, reflecting the importance of carbon-material synthesis and hybrid energy-storage crossover research.
Honda Motor and Kuraray Chemical are the most active co-filing pair with 11 joint families. NEC Corporation and the Japan Science and Technology Agency account for 6 joint families, and the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology has smaller partnerships with the Korean Rural Development Administration and Vinatech.
B82Y (Nanotechnology applications) at 4% of IPC records and B01J (Chemical and physical processes and catalysis) at 1% are the two most technically relevant under-served branches adjacent to the H01G core. These areas — particularly nano-structured electrode manufacturing and carbon activation processes — show comparatively thin filing density, especially among commercial rather than academic applicants.
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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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