Hydrogen Recycling Magnet Patents: Leader Plus a Long Tail 2026
- One assignee leads at 17 records, but the top 5 combine for only 41.1% of all 124 records in scope — no single player controls the field.
- Filing peaked in 2021 at 17 records and has since flattened or declined, with 2022 at just 4 — momentum has shifted rather than continued to build.
- H01F and B22F dominate the IPC mix, while C25C electrolytic routes and B01D separation processes sit at 4.8% and 4.0% of records — narrow, largely open branches.
Filing growth compares 2021 (17 records) with 2024 (8) — 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 124 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Hydrogen assisted recycling covers a family of processes that use hydrogen absorption to break down sintered NdFeB magnets — either as a purely mechanical decrepitation step ahead of reprocessing, or as part of a short loop chemical route that recovers rare earth content without full re-refining. The search scope in this dataset combines hydrogen decrepitation, direct recycling and related extraction and reprocessing terms across 124 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026.
The technology sits at the intersection of magnet manufacturing, powder metallurgy and metal extraction, which is why records cluster across several IPC subclasses rather than one. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 figures in any trend line understate actual filing activity for those years.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 124 records: how filing activity has moved year on year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claims.
Filing trend, 2017–2026
Filings rose to a peak of 17 records in 2021, dropped to 4 by the 2022 midpoint, and have not recovered since — a flat-to-declining pattern rather than a technology still building momentum. The 2026 figure of 1 record is a partial year and should not be read as a collapse in interest.
IPC subclass distribution
H01F (magnets, inductors and transformers) appears on 55.6% of records and B22F (powder metallurgy) on 43.5%, confirming that most filings address the magnet-forming and powder-processing steps rather than upstream chemistry. C22B extraction and refining (23.4%) and C22C alloys (21.0%) form a second tier; C25C electrolytic production, B01D separation and B29B plastics preparation each sit under 5%, the narrowest claimed corners of the field.
Shares are the percentage of the 124 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Hydrogen Assisted Recycling of Rare Earth Magnets with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about hydrogen assisted recycling of rare earth magnets and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaFoundational and most-cited patents
US5143560A — Method for forming Fe-B-R-T alloy powder by hydrogen decrepitation of die-upset billets
A method for high volume manufacture of Fe-B-R-T alloy powders without sacrificing magnetic properties such as intrinsic coercivity, using hydrogen decrepitation of vacuum cast or die-upset billets. Hydriding runs at a partial pressure of hydrogen between 250 and 760 mm Hg at 100 to 500 degrees C for 30 minutes to 6 hours or longer depending on load size; dehydriding occurs under vacuum below 10-2 mm Hg or in an inert atmosphere at equivalent hydrogen partial pressure. The resulting powder is typically incorporated into matrix or composite magnets with a binder prior to pressing and orienting.Filed by Hitachi Metals International, dated 1992-09-01 — the earliest foundational reference in this dataset's citation network.
View full record| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WO2002038276A1 | Method for direct recycling of plastic wastes | 86 |
| 2 | US5143560A | Method for forming Fe-B-R-T alloy powder by hydrogen decrepitation of die-upset billets | 41 |
| 3 | US20130263699A1 | Magnet Recycling | 40 |
| 4 | US20120137829A1 | Magnet Recycling | 40 |
| 5 | CN103065787A | 一种制备烧结钕铁硼磁体的方法 | 39 |
| 6 | US4853045A | Method for the manufacture of rare earth transition metal alloy magnets | 34 |
| 7 | US8734714B2 | Magnet recycling | 25 |
| 8 | US20150071810A1 | Method for preparing neodymium-iron-boron (nd-fe-b)-based sintered magnet | 21 |
| 9 | WO2012101398A1 | Magnet recovery | 19 |
| 10 | US20170221615A1 | Method for preparing an r-t-b permanent magnet | 18 |
Citation counts are drawn from a searched corpus and favour older filings; treat them as a measure of influence on later filers, not of current commercial relevance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the data means for filing strategy
Three findings that shape where new filings can still find open claim space, and where they cannot.
Leadership is real but not dominant
The leading assignee holds 17 records, well ahead of fifth place at 5, yet the top 5 assignees together account for only 41.1% of all 124 records in scope. That leaves the majority of the field distributed across a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants — a structure that rewards a well-drafted narrow claim more than it punishes a late entrant.
Filing has cooled since 2021
Activity peaked at 17 records in 2021 and had fallen to 4 by 2022, with no clear recovery since. Combined with several leading assignees showing zero filings in the latest year, this looks like a field that had a filing wave rather than one still accelerating — worth confirming against 2025-2026 filings once publication catches up.
Claims cluster on the magnet and powder steps
H01F and B22F together dominate the IPC mix, meaning most claim drafting has focused on the decrepitation and powder-forming stages rather than the extraction or electrolytic chemistry upstream. C25C and B01D each sit near 5% of records, suggesting the wet-chemistry and separation ends of the process are comparatively unclaimed.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to hydrogen assisted recycling of rare earth magnets, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where they are filing it
Filing activity spans manufacturers, magnet material specialists and a handful of university and institute assignees, filed predominantly through the United States, EPO and China receiving offices.
A single leader without a dominant share
The top-ranked assignee holds 17 of the 124 records in scope, more than three times the fifth-place count of 5, but still well short of controlling the field outright given the 41.1% combined top-5 share.
US and EPO lead, China close behind
The United States receives the largest share of filings at 43, ahead of Europe at 20 and China at 19; WIPO/PCT filings (13), India (10) and the UK (8) round out the picture, indicating a filing strategy centred on the US and European markets with meaningful China and PCT coverage.
Collaboration is concentrated within corporate groups
All ten identified co-assignee pairs link entities that share a parent or group structure rather than independent companies filing jointly, suggesting cross-company technology sharing in this niche remains limited.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Yantai Dongxing Magnetic Materials Inc. | 0 | — |
| The University of Birmingham | 0 | — |
| Yeda Research and Development Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Ningbo Star Materials Hi-Tech Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| RITCHIE TECH PTY LTD | 0 | -100% |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | 0 | — |
| Princeton NuEnergy Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Ningbo Yunsheng Hi-Tech Magnetics Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The trend and ranking answer where activity has been. The next questions are about where claim space is still open and what blocks a specific process route.
Map freedom to operate against the leading claims
Cross-reference a specific process step — hydriding temperature, dehydriding vacuum level, binder chemistry — against the claims held by the leading assignees before committing to a design.
Run a claim comparison in Eureka →Track the under-claimed branches
Electrolytic recovery and separation processes carry the fewest records in this dataset; a monitoring watch on new filings in these subclasses can surface entrants early.
Set up a monitoring watch in Eureka →Common questions on this landscape
Hydrogen decrepitation is a mechanical embrittlement process in which a sintered NdFeB magnet absorbs hydrogen gas, causing the alloy to expand unevenly along grain boundaries and crack into a coarse powder. This avoids the energy-intensive crushing and milling steps used in conventional processing and preserves much of the magnetic phase structure. In recycling contexts it is typically the first step before the powder is either reprocessed directly into new magnets (short loop) or sent for chemical extraction of the rare earth content.
The assignee ranking in this dataset covers 79 ranked companies across 124 records, with a single leader holding 17 records and the fifth-ranked assignee holding 5. The top 5 assignees combined account for 41.1% of all 124 records, meaning the field has an identifiable leader but no single controlling player. The remainder of filing activity is spread across a long tail of assignees with far fewer records each, including university, materials-specialist and manufacturer entities.
Filing activity peaked in 2021 at 17 records and had fallen to 4 by the 2022 midpoint, with no clear recovery since — a flat-to-declining pattern rather than continued growth. Several previously active assignees show zero filings in the most recent year tracked. That said, publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 figures are understated and should not be read as a definitive downturn until later data confirms it.
The IPC composition shows H01F (magnets) and B22F (powder metallurgy) covering the majority of records, at 55.6% and 43.5% of the 124 records respectively, which corresponds to the short-loop, powder-to-magnet route. Chemical extraction and refining (C22B) and electrolytic production (C25C) appear on a smaller share of records, at 23.4% and 4.8% respectively, indicating the wet-chemistry recovery route carries comparatively fewer claims. That gap is one of the more open areas for new filings, though it should be checked directly against pending applications before relying on it.
US5143560A, assigned to Hitachi Metals International and dating from 1992, claims a method for forming Fe-B-R-T alloy powder using hydrogen decrepitation of vacuum cast or die-upset billets, with specified hydriding pressure and temperature ranges and defined dehydriding vacuum conditions. It is the most heavily cited foundational reference in this dataset at 41 citations among the most-cited records. Any process replicating those specific pressure, temperature and vacuum parameters for powder formation risks overlap with this claim, though the patent's age means its term has likely expired in most jurisdictions — verify current status before treating it as a design constraint.
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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.