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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/electrochemical-ammonia-synthesis-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Green AmmoniaElectrochemical Ammonia Synthesis Patents: Who Leads and Where the Field Is Still Open
- 41.6% concentration at the top. The five leading assignees account for 128 of the 308 records in scope, but the tenth-ranked filer holds only 9 — a steep drop-off into a long tail.
- Filing has cooled slightly, not collapsed. Activity peaked at 52 records in 2023; the comparable 2021-to-2024 span is down 10%, a plateau rather than a retreat given publication lag.
- Claims cluster hard in one IPC subclass. 80.2% of the 308 records touch C25B (electrolytic production of compounds), while adjacent separation and wastewater classes stay under 9%.
308
Published Records
42%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-10%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
US
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth compares 2021 (42 records) with 2024 (38) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 308 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What the electrochemical ammonia synthesis patent record shows
Electrochemical ammonia synthesis covers routes that reduce nitrogen directly at an electrode or that mediate the reaction through an intermediate such as lithium, rather than relying on the high-pressure, high-temperature Haber-Bosch process. The patent record in scope spans 2015 to 2026 and totals 308 records tied to a search built around nitrogen reduction reaction chemistry, faradaic efficiency, electrolyte design and cell architecture claims. Filing built steadily through the late 2010s, peaked in 2023, and has since settled onto a plateau rather than a clear decline.
Activity is not evenly spread. A small group of assignees files repeatedly while most entrants appear once or twice, and the technology classes show the same pattern: one IPC subclass dominates while several adjacent ones remain thinly claimed. Both patterns matter for a freedom-to-operate read and for spotting where a first-mover claim is still possible.
Filing activity, 2017–2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Data
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 308 records: the year-by-year filing count, and how records distribute across IPC subclasses. Because a single record can carry multiple classes, the subclass shares add up to more than 100%.
A decade of filing, with a 2023 peak
Filings rose from 13 in 2017 to a peak of 52 in 2023. The 2021-to-2024 comparison shows a 10% decline, but 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in under normal publication lag, so treat the most recent two years as incomplete rather than as evidence of a downturn.
C25B dominates; adjacent classes stay thin
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) appears in 80.2% of the 308 records, far ahead of B01J (21.4%), C01C (20.5%) and H01M (16.2%). Separation processes (B01D, 8.1%) and water treatment (C02F, 5.8%) trail well behind, marking classes that are touched but not heavily claimed.
Shares are the percentage of the 308 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
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The most-cited records in this field
Representative Filing
An electrolytic composition and cathode for the nitrogen reduction reaction
MONASH UNIVERSITY
The invention provides a cathode for the nitrogen reduction reaction, comprising an electrically conductive substrate and an electrocatalytic composition on the substrate, wherein the electrocatalytic composition comprises: a support material present in one or more crystalline phases; and metallic clusters dispersed on the support material, the metallic clusters comprising at least one metal selected from ruthenium, iron, rhodium, iridium and molybdenum, wherein at least 80 mass % of the support material is present in a semiconductive crystalline phase having a conduction band minimum energy below (more positive than) -0.3 V relative to the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE).Filed by Monash University, published 2021-08-05 as US20210238756A1.
Highly cited electrochemical ammonia synthesis patents
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20180087164A1 | Tuning electrode surface electronics with thin layers | 28 |
| 2 | WO2022056427A1 | Methods for producing ammonia from dinitrogen using electrochemical devices having atomic metal on graphene f… | 23 |
| 3 | US20150027906A1 | Solid polymer electrolyte ammonia sensor | 22 |
| 4 | WO2019018875A1 | Method, cell and electrolyte for dinitrogen conversion | 20 |
| 5 | WO2015189865A1 | Electrolytic production of ammonia | 20 |
| 6 | US20190040535A1 | Method and cell for conversion of dinitrogen into ammonia | 18 |
| 7 | US20160083853A1 | Electrochemical synthesis of ammonia in alkaline media | 18 |
| 8 | WO2020000044A1 | An electrocatalytic composition and cathode for the nitrogen reduction reaction | 17 |
| 9 | WO2017132721A1 | Method and cell for conversion of dinitrogen into ammonia | 17 |
| 10 | US20150129431A1 | Gas permeable electrode and method of manufacture | 17 |
Ranked by citation count within the searched corpus. Older records accumulate more citations by virtue of age, so treat this as a signal of influence on subsequent filings rather than of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the numbers mean for strategy
Three findings that shape where to file, where to watch, and where prior art is thin.
Concentration
41.6%
of 308 records held by top 5 assignees
Filing sits with a small group, then falls off fast
The leading assignee holds 40 records and the fifth-ranked holds 14 — a steep gradient rather than a flat distribution. By the tenth position the count is down to 9, and the remaining 83 ranked assignees in the field split the rest thinly. A newcomer is not up against one dominant blocker so much as a cluster of active filers plus a long tail of single- or double-filing entrants.
Based on the 93-assignee ranking returned for this dataset.
Filing momentum
-10%
2021 to 2024, comparable years
A plateau, not a retreat
Filings hit their high point in 2023 at 52 records. The 2021-to-2024 comparison shows a 10% pullback, but because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 counts are undercounted and should not be read as a slowdown in inventive activity.
Peak year: 2023 at 52 records.
Technology mix
80.2%
of 308 records in C25B
One class carries most of the claim density
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) touches four out of five records in scope, meaning most inventive activity is being expressed as electrolytic cell, electrode or process claims rather than as separation, catalysis or downstream chemistry claims. B01J and C01C follow at 21.4% and 20.5% respectively, still well short of C25B's reach.
Classes overlap; shares are of the 308-record total, not of each other.
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to electrochemical ammonia synthesis, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who is filing, and where the gates sit
A handful of universities and research-linked entities lead the ranking, with collaboration pairs appearing between academic groups rather than between corporates. Recent-year counts show most of the visible leaders slowing, with one exception still filing.
Leader
40
records
A single assignee holds the top position by a wide margin
The leading assignee's 40 records are nearly triple the fifth-place count of 14, giving it a clear lead in raw filing volume within this dataset.
Counted in patent families / records, per the assignee ranking.
Momentum
4
records in latest year (Illinois)
Most top filers have gone quiet; one has not
Among the tracked leaders, the University of Illinois group shows 4 records in the latest year while several other prominent academic filers, including Danmarks Tekniske Univ and Ariel Sci Innovations, show 0 in the latest year with -100% year-on-year.
Recent-year momentum by assignee, latest available year.
Collaboration
13
shared records, strongest pair
Co-filing is concentrated in a few academic pairs
Only 4 co-assignee pairs appear in this dataset. The strongest links Tecmerra Methane Solutions with University of Guelph at 13 shared records, well ahead of the next pairs at 5 each.
Co-assignee pairs across the full 308-record dataset.
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | 4 | — |
| Monash University | 1 | 0% |
| University of Iceland | 0 | — |
| The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University | 0 | — |
| Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (Technical University of Denmark) | 0 | -100% |
| Ariel Sci Innovations Ltd | 0 | -100% |
| Tecmerra Methane Solutions Inc | 0 | — |
| University of Guelph | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a field with a concentrated core and a thin edge. These are the natural follow-on questions for a team deciding where to file or partner.
Map freedom-to-operate against the top filers
With 41.6% of records held by five assignees, a claim-by-claim review of their portfolios is a faster way to find open space than a blanket novelty search.
Explore assignee portfolios in EurekaTrack the under-claimed branches before they fill in
Separation, wastewater integration and isotope-labelling quantification remain thin relative to core electrolytic cell claims; that gap narrows as the field matures.
Monitor white space in EurekaWatch the 2025–2026 filings as they resolve
Publication lag means the apparent plateau since 2023 will sharpen or soften as pending filings surface over the next 12–18 months.
Set up filing alerts in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions about electrochemical ammonia synthesis patents
The ranking in this dataset covers 93 assignees, and the leading one holds 40 of the 308 records in scope, well ahead of the fifth-ranked assignee at 14. The top five combined account for 41.6% of all records, but the gradient below that is steep: the tenth-ranked assignee holds only 9. That means the field has a genuine leader plus several active followers rather than a single dominant monopoly position, and most of the remaining assignees file only once or twice.
Filings rose fairly steadily from 13 in 2017 to a peak of 52 in 2023. Comparing 2021 to 2024 shows a 10% decline, which looks like a cooling trend on the surface. However, patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 counts in any dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as proof the technology is losing momentum.
C25B, covering electrolytic production of compounds, appears in 80.2% of the 308 records in scope and is by far the dominant class. B01J (catalysis, 21.4%) and C01C (ammonia and nitrogen compounds, 20.5%) follow at a distance, with H01M (batteries and cells, 16.2%) also present given the overlap with electrochemical cell hardware. Separation (B01D) and water treatment (C02F) classes are present but comparatively lightly claimed, at 8.1% and 5.8% respectively.
US20210238756A1, filed by Monash University and published in 2021, claims a cathode for the nitrogen reduction reaction built from an electrically conductive substrate carrying an electrocatalytic composition. That composition combines a semiconductive crystalline support material with metallic clusters — ruthenium, iron, rhodium, iridium or molybdenum — dispersed on it, with a specific conduction band minimum threshold relative to the normal hydrogen electrode. Anyone designing a similar supported-metal-cluster cathode for nitrogen reduction should review this claim scope closely before finalising an electrode composition.
The technology composition data points to several thinly claimed adjacent branches: separation processes (B01D at 8.1% of records), water and wastewater integration (C02F at 5.8%), and non-metallic inorganic compound chemistry (C01B at 3.9%). These sit next to the heavily claimed C25B electrolytic-cell core but carry far less dedicated patent activity. A first claim combining core nitrogen reduction chemistry with one of these adjacent functions — crossover-suppression membranes or wastewater-integrated recovery cells, for example — faces a shallower prior art pool than a straight electrolytic cell claim.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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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.
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.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company's registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.