High-Entropy Alloy Powder Metallurgy Patent Landscape
The high-entropy alloy powder metallurgy field is in active growth, with 812 patent families on record and a 74% rise in the recent filing window. Activity is heavily concentrated in China-based applicants, with a single Japanese industrial firm leading by family count alongside a dense tier of Chinese universities.
Proterial Ltd leads a field dominated by Chinese academic filers
Proterial Ltd holds the top position with 32 patent families, edging out Central South University at 31 and Kunming University of Science and Technology at 26. The top five filers together account for 21% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling a moderately concentrated but not monopolized competitive structure.
The gap between the leader and the second-ranked applicant is narrow — just one family — and the third through fifth positions are held by Chinese universities within a similarly tight range. This near-parity at the top means no single actor has established a commanding lead, and the competitive position is genuinely contestable.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proterial Ltd | 32 | |
| 2 | Central South University | 31 | |
| 3 | KUNMING UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 26 | |
| 4 | South China University of Technology | 23 | |
| 5 | Yanshan University | 19 | |
| 6 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 18 | |
| 7 | UNIV OF SCI & TECH BEIJING | 17 | |
| 8 | Xiangtan University | 16 | |
| 9 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 14 | |
| 10 | Anhui University of Technology | 14 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation | 12 | |
| 12 | Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 12 | |
| 13 | Beijing Institute of Technology | 10 | |
| 14 | AVIC Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials | 10 | |
| 15 | Guizhou University | 10 | |
| 16 | Beijing University of Technology | 9 | |
| 17 | Guangdong Institute of New Materials | 9 | |
| 18 | Northwestern Polytechnical University | 9 | |
| 19 | Wenzhou University | 9 | |
| 20 | Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 9 |
The dominance of Chinese academic institutions in the ranking suggests that foundational process and composition China, while Proterial Ltd represents the strongest industrial patent portfolio in the field globally.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and will undercount actual activity; the 2025 and 2026 figures should be treated as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing volume accelerated after 2021; additive manufacturing is the fastest-growing adjacent branch
The annual filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a field that crossed an inflection point in 2022 and has since maintained elevated output, while the technology mix shows that additive manufacturing (B33Y) has emerged as a significant secondary cluster alongside the core alloy and powder metallurgy classes.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings climbed steadily from 53 in 2017 to a peak of 126 in 2022, then held near that level through 2023 and 2024. The 2025 and 2026 counts are understated by publication lag and should not be read as a decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C22C (Alloys) and B22F (Powder metallurgy) anchor the corpus, as expected. B33Y (Additive manufacturing / 3D printing) is a substantial third branch, indicating that directed-energy deposition and laser powder-bed fusion routes for high-entropy alloys are an active area of patenting. C23C (Coating and surface deposition) forms a meaningful fourth cluster, pointing to thermal spray and deposition applications.
↗ 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.
Fabrication of high-entropy alloy wire and multi-p…
In various embodiments, wires for use in additive manufacturing are fabricated by combining one or more powders of substantially spherical metal particles with one or more powders of non-spherical particles within one or more optional metallic tubes. The metal elements within the powders (and the one or more tubes, if present) collectively define a high… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High-strength and ultra heat-resistant high entrop… | 302 |
| 2 | Ultra-hard composite material and method for manuf… | 171 |
| 3 | Precipitation Hardening High Entropy Alloy and Met… | 128 |
| 4 | 超硬复合材料及其制成方法 | 82 |
| 5 | 一种难熔高熵合金/碳化钛复合材料及其制备方法 | 81 |
| 6 | Multi-material component and methods of making the… | 70 |
| 7 | High entropy alloy having TWIP/trip property and m… | 66 |
| 8 | 一种难熔高熵合金球形粉末的制备方法 | 57 |
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
China-dominant filing geography shapes the strategic risk and opportunity profile for any new entrant or incumbent looking to expand.
Growth stage: filings still expanding on a multi-year basis
The lifecycle evidence places the field firmly in a Growth stage, with annual filings still rising and the recent three-year window up 74%. The 2022 peak of 126 annual filings has been broadly sustained through 2024. This means core composition and process claims are still being staked, and a well-scoped filing program can still establish meaningful priority positions rather than merely designing around an entrenched prior-art wall.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a contestable top tier
The top five filers hold 21% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total — moderate rather than oligopolistic. The one-family gap between the leader (Proterial Ltd, 32 families) and second place (Central South University, 31 families) means no single actor controls a decisive share. An entrant with focused prosecution in a specific application niche — such as refractory compositions or additive-manufacturing powders — could achieve a competitive position within the leading tier.
Moderate concentrationUniversity-industry co-filing is active but localized
The most active co-filing pair is Yanshan University with Jiangsu Fengtai Tools Co., Ltd., with four joint families, followed by Central South University co-filing with Suzhou Laboratory, Shenzhen Lemai Technology, and Chengdu Tool Research Institute. Xi’an Jiaotong University has collaborated with Jinchuan Group and with a major marine engineering contractor. These pairings suggest that tool and wear-resistant applications are a primary commercialization bridge from academic research to industry. Non-Chinese actors show little co-filing activity in the evidence.
University-industry bridgeChina accounts for the overwhelming majority of filing activity
China is the dominant jurisdiction by a wide margin. The United States and EPO are the next largest destinations, followed by India and WIPO PCT filings. Japan, Russia, and a handful of European national offices trail significantly. The concentration in China suggests that most IP is being protected primarily for the Chinese market; non-Chinese firms seeking freedom to operate globally should prioritize PCT and EPO prosecution, where the prior-art density is comparatively lower.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Yanshan University | Jiangsu Fengtai Tools Co., Ltd. | 4 |
| Central South University | Suzhou Laboratory | 2 |
| Central South University | Shenzhen Lemai Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| Central South University | Chengdu Tool Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Xi’an Jiaotong University | Jinchuan Group Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Xi’an Jiaotong University | CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Xiangtan University | Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Harbin Institute of Technology | Harbin Institute of Technology Chongqing Research Institute | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Proterial Ltd leads industrially; Central South University leads academically
The two highest-ranked applicants approach the field from different angles: Proterial Ltd is an industrial filer with deep powder metallurgy process coverage, while Central South University is a prolific academic filer whose recent momentum is accelerating. Both are focused on the C22C alloy composition and B22F powder metallurgy core.
Proterial Ltd
Proterial Ltd holds 32 patent families, the highest count in the corpus. Its technology emphasis is concentrated on C22C 30 alloy compositions, B22F 3 powder compaction and sintering, and B22F 1 powder characteristics — a tightly integrated powder-to-part process portfolio. Recent momentum shows a new-entrant trajectory in the filing window analyzed, suggesting the company has materially ramped its HEA powder metallurgy prosecution in the current cycle.
families: 32Central South University
Central South University holds 31 patent families, one behind the leader, with recent filings up 20% versus the prior period — the strongest momentum figure among established top-tier filers. Its focus spans C22C 1 and C22C 30 alloy design alongside B22F 3 consolidation processing. Active co-filing with Suzhou Laboratory, Shenzhen Lemai Technology, and Chengdu Tool Research Institute indicates an applied commercialization pipeline oriented toward cutting tools and hard materials.
families: 31| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Central South University | 12 | ▲ +20% |
| Proterial Ltd | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Kunming University of Science and Technology | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| South China University of Technology | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Xi’an Jiaotong University | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
| Yanshan University | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Xiangtan University | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| University of Science and Technology Beijing | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served routes in coating deposition, alloy treatment, and welding
Several IPC branches intersect meaningfully with high-entropy alloy powder metallurgy but remain sparsely covered relative to the dominant C22C and B22F core, presenting observations of relative under-coverage that warrant technical evaluation before treating them as entry opportunities.
C23C · Coating and surface deposition
With 143 records against a much larger alloy and powder metallurgy core, C23C is the largest adjacent branch but still carries only 6% share among the whitespace candidates. Thermal spray, cold spray, and physical vapor deposition of high-entropy alloy coatings are technically mature enough to support commercial filings, yet the relative sparsity versus the composition literature suggests that application-specific coating claims — for example, wear-resistant or oxidation-barrier coatings on turbine or cutting-tool substrates — remain incompletely staked. Kunming University of Science and Technology is the most active filer here (C23C 24 surface deposition, 15 records), giving a benchmark for what a focused program would look like.
Search this in Eureka →B23K · Welding, soldering and brazing
B23K captures only 40 records in this corpus, representing approximately 2% of the adjacent-branch set. High-entropy alloy brazing fillers and weld-overlay coatings are an emerging application area driven by demand for joining dissimilar materials in aerospace and energy systems, yet the patent coverage is thin. The technical entry path is plausible — HEA powder feedstocks can be adapted directly from B22F processes to B23K filler applications — and the low prior-art density means broad claims may still be available. This is an observation of sparsity rather than a validated opportunity; a freedom-to-operate search within B23K specifically is a recommended first step.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across alloy design, powder processing, and coating routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | C22C 30 · Alloys | C22C 1 · Alloys | B22F 9 · Powder metallurgy | B22F 3 · Powder metallurgy | B22F 1 · Powder metallurgy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proterial Ltd | Strong · 28 | Absent | Strong · 23 | Strong · 24 | Strong · 23 |
| Central South University | Strong · 27 | Strong · 27 | Strong · 15 | Strong · 17 | Moderate · 6 |
| South China University of Technology | Strong · 17 | Strong · 18 | Strong · 16 | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 6 |
| Kunming University of Science and Technology | Strong · 23 | Strong · 13 | Moderate · 8 | Absent | Moderate · 6 |
| Yanshan University | Strong · 11 | Strong · 14 | Strong · 9 | Strong · 8 | Absent |
| Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Strong · 10 | Strong · 9 | Strong · 9 | Strong · 9 | Absent |
| Xiangtan University | Strong · 13 | Strong · 13 | Absent | Strong · 7 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence covers 812 patent families in scope globally. This corpus spans alloy composition, powder processing, additive manufacturing, and several adjacent application branches.
Proterial Ltd holds the highest count with 32 patent families, narrowly ahead of Central South University at 31 families. Proterial Ltd is the leading industrial filer; Central South University is the leading academic filer.
China is the dominant filing jurisdiction by a wide margin. The United States and EPO are the next most active destinations, followed by India and WIPO PCT filings.
C22C (Alloys) and B22F (Powder metallurgy) anchor the corpus. B33Y (Additive manufacturing / 3D printing) is a significant third branch, and C23C (Coating and surface deposition) forms a meaningful fourth cluster, reflecting the expansion of HEA applications into directed-energy deposition and coating technologies.
The evidence places the field in a Growth stage. Annual filings rose from 53 in 2017 to a peak of 126 in 2022 and have remained at elevated levels through 2024. The 74% growth figure for the recent filing window confirms ongoing expansion.
C23C (coating and surface deposition) and B23K (welding, soldering, and brazing) are the two most plausible adjacent branches showing relative sparsity versus the core composition and powder processing literature. Both have clear technical entry paths from existing HEA powder feedstock work, but freedom-to-operate searches within each branch are advisable before treating them as open white space.
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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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