HEA Recycling & Remelting Patent Landscape 2026
The HEA recycling and remelting field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, with recent three-year filings well above the prior three-year window, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak. Activity is dominated by academic and research institutions concentrated in China, with no single commercial incumbent commanding a large share of output.
Academic institutions lead a nascent, China-anchored field
Harbin Institute of Technology and a Russian federal university each hold 4 patent records at the top of the ranking, followed closely by University of Science and Technology Beijing, Lanzhou University of Technology, and National Tsing Hua University at 3 records each — a cluster that reflects the field’s academic rather than industrial character.
The top five filers account for 21% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating a relatively diffuse competitive structure with no dominant bloc. The tier gap between the top filers and the broader field is narrow, meaning entry by new applicants does not face an entrenched leader with overwhelming portfolio depth.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 4 | |
| 2 | Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution (Russian University) | 4 | |
| 3 | UNIV OF SCI & TECH BEIJING | 3 | |
| 4 | Lanzhou University of Technology | 3 | |
| 5 | National Tsing Hua University | 3 | |
| 6 | Indian Institute of Technology | 2 | |
| 7 | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | 2 | |
| 8 | Sandu Andrei Victor | 2 | |
| 9 | Hebei University of Technology | 2 | |
| 10 | Jiangsu University OF SCI & TECH IND TECH RES INST OF ZH… | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Chen Ruikai | 2 | |
| 12 | Baltatu Madalina Simona | 2 | |
| 13 | CEZ Research Centre | 2 | |
| 14 | Charles University | 2 | |
| 15 | Xinjiang University | 2 | |
| 16 | Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur | 2 | |
| 17 | Harbin Engineering University | 2 | |
| 18 | Codescu Mirela Maria | 2 | |
| 19 | Zhejiang University of Technology | 1 | |
| 20 | Shenzhen EPT Battery Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The positions of leaders such as Harbin Institute of Technology and University of Science and Technology Beijing imply that fundamental alloy-composition and processing know-how is being established primarily in Chinese universities, creating a knowledge base that commercial actors will need to license or match as the technology matures.
Filing counts for 2024–2025 are understated due to standard patent publication lags of 18–24 months; the apparent slowdown in those years should not be read as a real decline in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2023 activity surge and alloy-composition dominance define the landscape
Two charts together show that filing activity accelerated sharply in 2023 and that alloy-composition classes absorb most of the technical output, with coating, powder metallurgy, and refining branches occupying secondary positions.
Annual filing trend
Filings were sparse before 2019, jumped to 10 records that year, moderated in 2020–2022, then surged to 19 records in 2023 — the field’s peak year to date. The 2024 and 2025 figures are understated by publication lag and do not represent a real decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C22C (Alloys) is the dominant branch, reflecting that most work addresses alloy design and composition during recycling and remelting. C23C (Coating and surface deposition) and B22F (Powder metallurgy) form a secondary tier, while C22B (Metal extraction and refining) and B33Y (Additive manufacturing) appear at lower densities, signalling under-explored process routes.
↗ 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.
High entropy alloy, method of preparation and use …
A high entropy alloy includes at least five elements selected from Cobalt, Nickel, Titanium, Zirconium, and Hafnium, wherein two of the five elements have a total atomic percentage of 100−x, and the remainder elements have a total atomic percentage of x, where 0<x<100. A method of producing the high entropy alloy. A component for use in a mechanical… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种高熵合金双联工艺制备方法 | 42 |
| 2 | 一种具有超弹性的TiZrHfNbAl高熵合金及其制备方法 | 25 |
| 3 | 一种原位合成低压冷喷涂CuNiCoFeCrAl<sub>2.8</sub>高熵合金涂层的制备方法 | 24 |
| 4 | 一种具有梯度组合结构的耐蚀耐磨涂层及其制备方法 | 18 |
| 5 | 一种高熵合金粉芯丝材电弧熔覆加工工艺 | 16 |
| 6 | 一种进一步提高高熵合金涂层耐磨性的方法 | 14 |
| 7 | 一种轻质高强耐蚀高熵合金及其制备方法 | 14 |
| 8 | 一种原位合成低压冷喷涂NiCoCrAlCu高熵合金涂层的制备方法 | 13 |
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
The field’s academic concentration, modest portfolio sizes, and multi-jurisdiction spread offer both opportunity and risk for industrial entrants. The four cards below synthesise the key strategic reads.
Growth stage, easing from a 2023 peak
The field is classified as Growth: recent three-year filings sit 83% above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. However, annual volume peaked in 2023 at 19 records and has eased since, with 2024–2025 figures further understated by publication lag. For R&D planners, this signals a window to establish foundational IP before the field reaches maturity and freedom-to-operate tightens.
Growth · 83% recent upliftDiffuse, academic-led structure with no industrial bloc
The top five filers hold 21% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, a relatively low share that indicates no single player controls the field. All leading applicants are universities or research institutes, not commercial manufacturers. This creates a licensing-friendly environment but also means that industrialisation know-how is not yet patent-protected at scale.
Low concentrationOne confirmed cross-institutional pair: CEZ Research Centre and Charles University
The evidence shows a single co-filing pair: the research centre (CEZ Research Centre, Czech Republic) and Charles University, which have co-filed 2 patent records together. This is the only detected collaboration in the corpus, underscoring that the field remains largely siloed by institution. Partnerships bridging materials-science universities and process-engineering groups represent an open structural gap.
1 active co-filer pairChina overwhelmingly leads; Russia, India, and Taiwan are secondary nodes
China accounts for 46 of the patent records in scope, establishing it as the primary jurisdiction for both filing and likely commercialisation activity. India follows with 8 records, Russia with 4, and the Czech Republic, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States with 2 each. The near-absence of filings in major manufacturing jurisdictions such as Japan, South Korea, and Germany suggests limited corporate engagement from those industrial bases so far.
China-dominantGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CEZ Research Centre | Charles University | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Top players concentrate on alloy-composition IP with new-entrant momentum
All momentum-tracked leaders entered the field recently, consistent with the field’s early-growth character. Their technical focus is concentrated in C22C alloy classes, with some diversification into non-ferrous metal treatment and powder metallurgy.
Harbin Institute of Technology
Harbin Institute of Technology holds 4 patent records, the joint-highest count in the ranking. Its technical focus spans C22C 30 (multi-principal alloys), C22C 1 (alloy preparation), and C22F 1 (non-ferrous metal treatment), indicating breadth across composition and downstream processing. Momentum trend is flagged as a new entrant, consistent with recent activity concentrated in the near-term window.
4 patent recordsFederal State Autonomous Educational Institution
The Russian federal university co-leads with 4 patent records and focuses on C22C 30 (multi-principal alloys), C22C 1, and C21D 8 (heat treatment), suggesting an interest in thermo-mechanical processing during remelting cycles. Like its peers, it is classified as a new entrant, meaning its filings are concentrated in the most recent period examined.
4 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Harbin Institute of Technology | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution (Russian University) | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| CEZ Research Centre | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hebei University of Technology | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Charles University | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served routes in refining, heat treatment, and additive manufacturing
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant alloy-composition class carry low patent-record counts relative to their potential relevance to HEA recycling and remelting workflows. These are observations of relative sparsity and should be assessed against technical feasibility and freedom-to-operate before treating them as investment targets.
C22B · Metal extraction & refining
With 10 patent records and a 7% share of the corpus, C22B (metal extraction and refining) is under-represented given that scrap pre-treatment, impurity removal, and selective leaching are central to any industrial HEA recycling loop. The sparse coverage suggests that hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical routes specific to HEA scrap streams have not yet been systematically protected. An entrant with process-chemistry expertise in multi-element separation could establish differentiated IP here with a realistic path through existing refining literature and pilot-scale demonstration.
Search this in Eureka →B33Y · Additive manufacturing (3D printing)
Only 4 patent records fall under B33Y (additive manufacturing), a 3% share, despite growing industrial interest in using recycled HEA powder feedstocks for laser powder-bed fusion and directed-energy deposition. The intersection of remelted HEA powder characterisation, flowability control, and build-parameter optimisation is technically distinct from bulk alloy work and largely unaddressed in this corpus. Organisations already active in metal AM who are developing circular feedstock strategies would find minimal blocking IP in this branch at present.
Search this in Eureka →Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 61 patent families. This is a small corpus relative to adjacent high-entropy alloy fields, confirming that HEA-specific recycling and remelting IP remains early-stage.
Harbin Institute of Technology and a Russian federal autonomous educational institution share the top position with 4 patent records each. University of Science and Technology Beijing, Lanzhou University of Technology, and National Tsing Hua University follow with 3 records each. All leading filers are universities or research institutes rather than commercial manufacturers.
The field is in a Growth stage. Recent three-year filings are 83% above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. Annual volume peaked at 19 records in 2023 and has eased since, but 2024–2025 figures are understated by patent publication lags of 18–24 months and should not be read as a genuine decline.
China dominates with 46 patent records, far ahead of the next jurisdictions: India with 8, Russia with 4, and the Czech Republic, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States with 2 each. Major industrial alloy-producing countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Germany are currently absent from the filing landscape.
C22C (Alloys) is the dominant branch, covering alloy composition during recycling and remelting. C23C (Coating and surface deposition) and B22F (Powder metallurgy) form a secondary tier. The most under-served adjacent branches relative to their technical relevance are C22B (Metal extraction and refining) at 10 records and B33Y (Additive manufacturing) at 4 records.
The evidence shows one confirmed co-filing pair: CEZ Research Centre and Charles University in the Czech Republic, who have co-filed 2 patent records together. No other inter-institutional collaborations are detected in the corpus, indicating that the field remains largely siloed by individual institution.
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