Li-Ion Electrode Coating Patent Landscape 2026
The li-ion electrode coating field spans 953 patent families and is in a mature, plateau phase with annual volume easing since its 2021 peak. GRST International leads with 56 patent families, but the top five filers hold only 19% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, signaling a moderately fragmented competitive field with meaningful room for challengers.
GRST International leads a moderately fragmented field
GRST International leads the ranking with 56 patent families, followed by the Regents of the University of California at 48 and Arkema France at 40. The top five filers collectively hold 19% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating no single actor has locked up the space.
The tier gap between the leader (56 families) and the fifth-ranked BYD (29 families) is meaningful but not dominant. Academic and public-research institutions — including the University of California, Tsinghua University, and CNRS — sit alongside commercial players in the top ten, reflecting the field’s continued reliance on upstream science.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GRST International Ltd | 56 | |
| 2 | Regents of the University of California | 48 | |
| 3 | Arkema France SA | 40 | |
| 4 | I-TEN | 32 | |
| 5 | BYD Co Ltd | 29 | |
| 6 | A123 Systems LLC | 28 | |
| 7 | Sila Nanotechnologies Inc | 25 | |
| 8 | Ningde Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) | 22 | |
| 9 | Tsinghua University | 21 | |
| 10 | Honeycomb Battery Co | 19 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 19 | |
| 12 | BTR New Material Group Co Ltd | 19 | |
| 13 | Arakawa Chemical Industries Ltd | 17 | |
| 14 | Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Ltd | 17 | |
| 15 | French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) | 17 | |
| 16 | Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co Ltd | 17 | |
| 17 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 16 | |
| 18 | Sicona Battery Technologies Pty Ltd | 16 | |
| 19 | Valence Technology Inc | 16 | |
| 20 | Nissan Motor Co Ltd | 15 |
GRST International’s position at the top, combined with its deep focus on electrode and cell design (H01M4, H01M10), suggests a company systematically building a manufacturing-oriented IP moat. Meanwhile, the presence of specialty chemical firms such as Arkema France and material suppliers such as BTR New Material signals that coating chemistry remains an active front.
Filing counts for 2024–2026 are subject to publication lag and will rise as pending applications publish; treat the apparent recent softening as an artifact of that lag, not confirmed market cooling. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity plateaued near 2021 peak; electrochemistry dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology composition together reveal a maturing, electrochemistry-centric field where adjacent chemistry and process branches remain thinly populated.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings built from 99 families in 2017 to a peak plateau around 2020–2021 (136–137 families), then eased to 128 in 2022 and 134 in 2023. The apparent drops in 2024–2026 reflect publication lag and should not be read as a structural decline. The multi-year trend from 2017 to the plateau represents meaningful growth in field activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) dominates the IPC mix by a wide margin, reflecting that most innovation is claimed at the cell level. Non-metallic inorganic compounds (C01B) and metal compounds (C01G) are the next largest classes, pointing to active materials chemistry as the second front. Process-oriented branches — coating and surface deposition (C23C), addition polymers (C08F), nanotechnology (B82Y), and chemical processes (B01J) — each hold small but distinct shares, indicating specialization opportunities.
↗ 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.
Preparation method and product of lithium-ion batt…
A preparation method of a lithium-ion battery electrode sheet includes: adding a powdered thermal decomposition additive, an active material, a binder, and a conductive agent into a solvent according to a predetermined ratio and a specific order, performing continuous stirring until the solvent is uniformly mixed, obtaining an electrode slurry, coating the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graphene foam-protected anode active materials for… | 360 |
| 2 | 多位掺杂型磷酸铁锂正极材料制备方法及其应用 | 159 |
| 3 | Lithium ion electrochemical cell | 106 |
| 4 | 复合钛酸锂电极材料及其制备方法 | 100 |
| 5 | 锂离子电池正极材料氧化镍钴锰锂及其制备方法 | 99 |
| 6 | Metal sulfide composite materials for batteries | 96 |
| 7 | Multi-phase, silicon-containing electrode for a li… | 94 |
| 8 | 锂离子电池正极材料高密度球形镍钴锰酸锂的制备方法 | 91 |
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
Four structural reads — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — frame where entry barriers are high, where partnerships are forming, and where filing activity is geographically anchored.
Plateau maturity with annual volume easing from the 2021 peak
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Mature, with annual filings having plateaued near their peak. Volume rose from 99 families in 2017 to a 2021 apex of 137, then eased gradually. For R&D teams, this signals that broad foundational claims are largely staked; value now comes from incremental differentiation in specific coating chemistries, process parameters, or novel active-material combinations.
Lifecycle: MatureModerate fragmentation — top five hold 19% of the hundred largest filers’ share
No single applicant commands a dominant share: the gap between the leader (56 patent families) and the fifth-ranked filer (29 families) is real but not prohibitive. Academic institutions occupy three of the top eleven slots, suggesting that licensing or university spin-out routes remain viable entry paths alongside organic R&D. A challenger entering with a differentiated chemistry or process claim can realistically reach the second tier.
Concentration: ModerateTwo active co-filing pairs identified: Arkema–CNRS and Sila–Georgia Tech
The most active co-filing partnership is Arkema France with CNRS (4 joint families), combining a specialty fluoropolymer manufacturer with France’s national research institution — a logical pairing for binder and coating chemistry. The second pair, Sila Nanotechnologies with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (3 joint families), links a silicon-anode startup with a leading materials engineering university. Both collaborations suggest that industry–academia structures are the predominant co-development model in this space.
Collaboration: Active pairsUnited States leads filings; Europe and China are substantial secondary offices
The United States is the lead filing jurisdiction, followed by Europe (EPO) and China. WIPO PCT filings are also meaningful, indicating applicants pursuing broad international coverage. India, Canada, and Australia represent smaller but present secondary markets. South Korea and Japan — home to major battery manufacturers — show comparatively modest filing counts at the patent-record level, which may reflect strategic choices to file domestically under national routes not captured here or a gap in local R&D investment in coating specifically.
Geography: US-led, global spreadGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Arkema France SA | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 4 |
| Sila Nanotechnologies Inc | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
GRST International and the University of California lead; Arkema and Sila are the most active climbers
The top two filers are a Hong Kong-based electrode manufacturer and a major US public university, reflecting the dual commercial-academic nature of this landscape. Among active movers, Arkema France shows steady growth while Sila Nanotechnologies is emerging rapidly.
GRST International
GRST International leads with 56 patent families, concentrated heavily in electrode design and cell-level claims (H01M4, H01M10) with a secondary focus on drying processes (F26B5), pointing to a manufacturing-process-oriented IP strategy. Momentum data for GRST is not included in the applicant momentum evidence set, so near-term trajectory is evidence pending.
families: 56Arkema France
Arkema France ranks third with 40 patent families, focused on electrode chemistry (H01M4, H01M10) and fluoropolymer addition chemistry (C08F214) — consistent with its role as a leading PVDF binder supplier. Its recent-period momentum shows a +7% trend versus the prior window, making it the only established top-three filer posting positive near-term growth. Its active co-filing with CNRS (4 joint families) further reinforces a chemistry-driven differentiation path.
families: 40| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Regents of the University of California | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| Arkema France SA | 15 | ▲ +7% |
| BYD Co Ltd | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| I-TEN | 8 | ▼ -50% |
| A123 Systems LLC | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) | 7 | ▼ -53% |
| Sila Nanotechnologies Inc | 14 | ▲ new entrant |
| Applied Materials Inc | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in coating processes, nanotechnology, and catalysis
Relative to the dominant H01M electrochemistry core, several adjacent IPC branches are thinly populated. These observations point to areas where differentiated IP could be established, though each carries its own technical and commercial uncertainties.
B82Y · Nanotechnology applications
With 43 patent records, nanotechnology applications represent roughly 2% of the technology mix — sparse given the well-documented performance benefits of nanostructured coatings for rate capability and cycle life. The branch sits adjacent to active materials work already underway (C01B, C01G) and could serve as an entry point for players with expertise in nano-coating deposition or nanoparticle surface treatment. Sila Nanotechnologies’ secondary use of C23C16 hints at this direction, but broad nanotechnology-framed claims remain limited.
Search this in Eureka →C23C · Coating & surface deposition
C23C (coating and surface deposition) accounts for only 34 patent records despite being the most directly process-relevant IPC class for electrode coating manufacture. Thin-film, atomic-layer deposition (ALD), and physical vapor deposition routes for electrode surface modification are technically feasible and commercially relevant for solid-state and high-voltage applications, yet IP here is sparse. An entrant with process engineering depth — particularly in ALD or CVD for coating uniformity at scale — would face a relatively open field in this branch.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route across IPC branches
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | H01M 2 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRST International Ltd | Strong · 59 | Moderate · 26 | Emerging · 10 | Absent | Emerging · 6 |
| Regents of the University of California | Strong · 40 | Strong · 33 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Arkema France SA | Strong · 39 | Strong · 28 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| I-TEN | Strong · 30 | Strong · 28 | Moderate · 9 | Absent | Absent |
| Applied Materials Inc | Strong · 25 | Strong · 18 | Moderate · 10 | Absent | Moderate · 9 |
| BYD Co Ltd | Strong · 32 | Strong · 24 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| A123 Systems LLC | Strong · 28 | Strong · 27 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence set covers 953 patent families in li-ion electrode coating. This total reflects the scope of the analysis and is subject to ongoing publication of pending applications, particularly for filings from 2024 onward.
GRST International leads with 56 patent families, concentrated in electrode design (H01M4) and cell-level claims (H01M10), with a secondary focus on drying processes. The Regents of the University of California rank second at 48 patent families, and Arkema France third at 40.
The field is classified as Mature. Annual filings plateaued near the 2021 peak of 137 families and have eased since. This signals that broad foundational claims are largely established and that incremental differentiation in specific chemistries or processes is the primary innovation frontier.
The United States leads as the primary filing office, followed by Europe (EPO) and China. WIPO PCT filings indicate applicants pursuing broad international coverage. India, Canada, and Australia are smaller secondary markets. South Korea and Japan show comparatively modest counts at the patent-record level.
Two co-filing pairs are identified in the evidence: Arkema France with CNRS (4 joint patent families) and Sila Nanotechnologies with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (3 joint families). Both pairs link a commercial entity with a public research institution, reflecting the industry–academia model dominant in this space.
Nanotechnology applications (B82Y, 43 patent records) and coating and surface deposition processes (C23C, 34 patent records) are the most notable under-served adjacent branches. Chemical and physical processes (B01J, 50 records) and addition polymers (C08F, 34 records) also show limited coverage relative to their technical relevance to electrode coating.
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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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