Electrocatalysis Operando Characterization Patent Snapshot
The University of Toronto dominates a highly concentrated, early-maturing corpus of 28 patent families, accounting for nearly half the portfolio outright and partnering with TotalEnergies to hold the field’s most-cited positions. Annual filing volume has plateaued near its 2022 peak, while a wave of new academic entrants from China and the Asia-Pacific region signals broadening institutional interest.
University of Toronto leads a tightly held, academic-dominated field
The University of Toronto holds the top-ranked position with 13 patent families, followed by Xiamen University and. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, each with 3 patent families. The top five filers collectively represent 72% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, confirming extreme concentration at the head of the ranking.
A steep tier gap separates the University of Toronto from every other applicant. Eleven of the thirteen ranked filers hold just one patent family each, meaning the field has no established second tier — only a distant cluster of single-family entrants.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Toronto (Governing Council) | 13 | |
| 2 | Xiamen University | 3 | |
| 3 | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | 3 | |
| 4 | Inner Mongolia University | 1 | |
| 5 | Jilin University | 1 | |
| 6 | Hunan University | 1 | |
| 7 | Huayan Environmental Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | SHANGHAI INST OF CERAMIC CHEM & TECH CHINESE ACAD … | 1 | |
| 9 | Tongji University | 1 | |
| 10 | City University of Hong Kong | 1 | |
| 11 | Wuhan Institute of Technology | 1 | |
| 12 | NewSouth Innovations Pty Ltd | 1 | |
| 13 | National Cheng Kung University | 1 |
The University of Toronto’s visible position, reinforced by a 10-family co-filing relationship with TotalEnergies, gives those two institutions an unusually strong combined foothold in electrolytic production of compounds (C25B) and electroplating (C25D), which together define the core technical routes.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are subject to standard publication lag and likely under-represent current activity; the apparent low counts in 2023–2025 should be read with that caveat. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2022; C25B electrolytic production dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend and IPC branch composition together reveal a field that expanded quickly from 2019, reached a volume peak in 2022, and has since plateaued, while the technology mix remains heavily weighted toward electrolytic compound production.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2019, jumped to 6 in both 2019 and 2020, dipped in 2021, then peaked at 8 in 2022. The lower counts in 2023–2025 reflect publication lag and should not be read as a sustained decline. The overall multi-year pattern marks 2022 as the high-water mark with activity now plateaued near that level.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) is the visible branch, followed by G01N (material analysis and testing) and B01J (chemical and physical processes and catalysis). Lower-share branches — C30B (crystal growth), H01M (batteries and fuel cells), B82Y (nanotechnology), and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) — each represent narrow slices of the current portfolio.
↗ 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 oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst and m…
An oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst and a method for preparing said oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of contacting a porous zeolite with a solution containing a noble metal precursor to form a noble metal doped zeolite, pyrolyzing the noble metal doped zeolite to form nanocrystals comprising at… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrocatalysts synthesized under co2 electroredu… | 20 |
| 2 | Electrocatalysts synthesized under co 2 electrored… | 9 |
| 3 | Metal nanoparticle electrocatlysts with confinemen… | 7 |
| 4 | Boron-doped copper catalysts for efficient convers… | 6 |
| 5 | 高压拉曼电化学池 | 5 |
| 6 | An oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalyst and m… | 3 |
| 7 | 在线监测高压体系电催化测试的原位拉曼光谱装置 | 2 |
| 8 | 在线监测高压体系电催化测试的原位拉曼光谱装置及应用 | 2 |
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.
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto holds 13 patent families, placing it far ahead of every other applicant. Its technical focus is concentrated in C25B 11 and C25B 3 (electrolytic production of compounds) and C25D 3 (electroplating and electroforming), with a co-filing relationship with TotalEnergies accounting for 10 of those families. Momentum has decelerated sharply — recent filings are down 82% versus the prior period — suggesting the primary buildout phase of this portfolio is complete.
13 patent familiesThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University holds 3 patent families and is recorded as a new entrant with no prior-period baseline, making its recent activity a genuine entry into the field rather than a continuation. Its technical emphasis spans C25B 11, C25B 3, and C25B 9, aligning closely with the core electrolytic production routes. Alongside Xiamen University (also 3 patent families, also a new entrant), it represents the leading edge of a broader wave of Asia-Pacific academic challengers.
3 patent familiesFrequently asked questions
The evidence covers 28 patent families in scope across this topic globally.
The University of Toronto is the top-ranked holder with 13 patent families, a position reinforced by a 10-family co-filing relationship with TotalEnergies — the only major collaboration pair identified in the evidence.
The lifecycle is assessed as maturity: annual filings have plateaued near their 2022 peak. The field expanded rapidly from 2019 but has not continued to accelerate. Recent-period counts for 2023–2025 are subject to publication lag and may be somewhat understated.
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) is the visible branch by patent-record count, followed by G01N (material analysis and testing) and B01J (chemical and physical processes and catalysis).
China leads with 9 patent records, followed by the United States with 6, WIPO PCT with 5, Canada with 4, Europe (EPO) with 3, and Taiwan with 1.
C30B (crystal growth, 4 records) and H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells, 3 records) are the largest sparse branches. B82Y (nanotechnology applications) and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) each hold only 1 record, making them the thinnest covered areas in the corpus.
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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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