Membrane Reactor Materials Patents: Leaders & Filing Trends 2026
- Filing has plateaued since 2022, peaking at 12 families that year and holding roughly flat through the latest full year, not accelerating.
- Separation and catalysis IPC classes dominate, with B01D and B01J each appearing in over 100 of the 136 tracked families.
- Electrolytic and refining integration is thinly claimed, with C25B, B01B and C10G each holding only a handful of records against the dense core classes.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks 136 patent families filed against membrane reactor systems that specify a particular advanced material — palladium membranes, zeolite membranes, mixed ionic-electronic conductors, or defined ceramic membrane compositions — rather than membrane reactors in general. The search combines reactor-level terminology with material-specific claim language and three core IPC classes covering separation membranes, catalytic processes, and reactor apparatus.
Coverage runs from 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off, with the most recent year necessarily undercounted because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. Filing offices span the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and the WIPO PCT system, reflecting a field where multi-jurisdiction protection is common rather than exceptional.
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Filing trends and technology composition
The 136 families in this dataset span eight IPC subclasses and six major receiving offices, with filing activity that has plateaued rather than accelerated since its 2022 peak.
A flat filing curve since the 2022 peak
Annual filings rose from 2 in 2017 to a peak of 12 in 2022, then held roughly flat through the most recent full year. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years in this trend will read lower than actual filing activity once later disclosures publish.
Separation and catalysis dominate the IPC mix
B01D (separation processes) and B01J (catalytic processes) each appear in over 100 of the 136 records, confirming this is fundamentally a separation-and-catalysis field. C01B (inorganic compounds) sits close behind at 86, while H01M (batteries and fuel cells) and the smaller C25B, B01B and C10G subclasses mark where membrane reactor claims extend into adjacent process industries.
Shares are the percentage of the 136 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Membrane Reactor Advanced Materials with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about membrane reactor advanced materials and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited filings
US20220047995A1 — Zeolite membrane complex, method of producing zeolite membrane complex, separator, membrane reactor, and separation method
A zeolite membrane complex includes a porous support and a zeolite membrane formed on the support. The zeolite membrane contains Al, P, and a tetravalent element, with compositional molar ratios defined within specific numeric windows measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a zeolite crystal accessible volume of 450 cubic angstroms or greater.Filed by NGK Insulators, Ltd., published 2022-02-17.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5637259A | Process for producing syngas and hydrogen from natural gas using a membrane reactor | 128 |
| 2 | US5366712A | Ceramic catalytic membrane reactor for the separation of hydrogen and/or isotopes thereof from fluid feeds | 75 |
| 3 | JP2011016123A | Zeolite membrane, separation membrane module, and method for manufacturing the same | 62 |
| 4 | US20050281735A1 | Hydrogen generation apparatus and method for using same | 47 |
| 5 | WO2007119286A1 | Method of dehydration, dehydrating apparatus, and membrane reactor | 46 |
| 6 | JP1999137981A | Base body to carry zeolite membrane | 31 |
| 7 | JP2005289735A | Zeolite membrane and its manufacturing method | 30 |
| 8 | US6165438A | Apparatus and method for simultaneous recovery of hydrogen from water and from hydrocarbons | 28 |
| 9 | US20040101720A1 | Fuel reforming system | 27 |
| 10 | WO2008024089A2 | Hydrogen generation apparatus and method for using same | 25 |
Ranked by citation count within the searched corpus; citation counts favour older filings and should be read as a signal of influence, not current importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Beyond raw counts, three patterns stand out in how membrane reactor material claims have been filed and cited over the past decade.
Older process claims still anchor the field
The two most-cited records in this dataset, both covering hydrogen/syngas separation via membrane reactors, were filed well before the 2022 peak. High citation counts inside a bounded corpus favour older filings by construction, so treat this as a signal of foundational influence rather than current commercial dominance.
US, Europe and Japan lead filing volume
The United States leads with 33 filings, followed by Europe (24), Australia and Japan (20 each), and WIPO PCT filings (15). This spread across major offices, including a meaningful PCT share, indicates applicants are pursuing multi-jurisdiction protection rather than filing defensively in a single home market.
Growth has flattened, not accelerated
Annual filings rose from 2 in 2017 to a peak of 12 in 2022, then held flat rather than continuing to climb. Combined with the fact that most tracked assignees show zero filings in the latest year, this points to a field that has passed its most active filing period, at least based on published records to date.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to membrane reactor advanced materials, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and who has gone quiet
Recent-year momentum data shows a field where most historically active assignees have stopped filing, with one notable exception still adding to its portfolio.
NGK Insulators is the one assignee still filing
Against a field where most tracked assignees show zero filings in the most recent year, NGK Insulators recorded one, consistent with its representative filing on zeolite membrane composition. That makes it the clearest signal of ongoing R&D investment in this dataset.
Japanese public research institutes anchor collaboration
The strongest co-assignee relationship in this dataset pairs a national research institute with Asahi Kasei, four joint filings, indicating institute-industry collaboration is a meaningful filing route in this field rather than an exception.
Named individuals appear alongside corporate assignees
Pairings such as Noritake with Kusakabe Katsuki, and Kusakabe Katsuki with Morooka Shigeharu, show individual academic or technical inventors filing jointly with industrial assignees, a pattern more typical of foundational material science than of mature process engineering.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| NGK Insulators, Ltd. | 1 | — |
| National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) | 0 | — |
| Noritake Co., Limited | 0 | — |
| Intelligent Energy Limited | 0 | — |
| Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) | 0 | — |
| Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| CUF – Químicos Industriais, S.A. | 0 | — |
| KUSAKABE KATSUKI | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis next
The trends above point to a field with plateaued filing and clear thin spots, but they raise questions worth answering with the full underlying dataset.
Check freedom-to-operate against the oldest, most-cited claims
US5637259A and US5366712A carry the highest citation counts in this corpus and cover fundamental hydrogen/syngas membrane separation — any new filing in that space should be checked against them first.
Run an FTO search in EurekaTrack NGK Insulators' filing pattern
As the only assignee with activity in the latest tracked year, its filing direction is a leading indicator for where compositional zeolite membrane claims are heading next.
Monitor assignee activity in EurekaModel a first claim in the electrolytic integration gap
With only 5 records in C25B against over 100 in the core separation classes, a membrane reactor claim integrated with electrolytic cell architecture faces comparatively little prior art.
Draft and test claim language in EurekaFrequently asked questions
A membrane reactor combines a chemical reaction and a membrane-based separation step in a single vessel, using a selective membrane — often palladium, zeolite, or a mixed ionic-electronic conductor ceramic — to remove a product as it forms. This integration improves conversion beyond what a standard reactor allows and is central to hydrogen production, dehydration processes, and fuel cell systems. Patent activity in this dataset concentrates on the membrane material itself and on how it is manufactured or integrated, rather than on reactor vessel design generally.
Filing activity in this dataset is led by Japanese research institutes and manufacturers, including NGK Insulators, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Noritake, alongside contributions from companies such as Asahi Kasei, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Nissan. The two most-cited underlying patents, however, are older US filings covering syngas and hydrogen separation, which shaped much of the field's foundational claim language. Recent-year momentum data shows most named assignees with no filings in the latest year, with NGK Insulators the one exception still active.
Palladium membranes for hydrogen separation and zeolite membranes for dehydration and separation are the two most heavily cited and most established material routes in this corpus. Ceramic membrane materials more broadly appear throughout the ranking IPC classes (B01D, C01B), while mixed ionic-electronic conductor membranes appear mainly through overlap with fuel cell classifications (H01M) and represent a comparatively smaller, earlier-stage cluster. Composition-defined claims, such as specific elemental molar ratios in a zeolite framework, are becoming more common in recent filings alongside older process-level claims.
The thinnest IPC branches in this dataset are C25B (electrolytic production of compounds), B01B (boiling and evaporating), and C10G (hydrocarbon oil refining), each with only a handful of records compared to the dense B01D and B01J core. This suggests membrane reactor architectures integrated directly into electrolytic cells or refining processes are under-claimed relative to separation and catalysis applications. With only ten co-assignee pairs recorded across 136 families, collaborative filing into these adjacent branches also remains limited, leaving room for new entrants to stake out clearer claims.
The assignee base includes a mix of large industrial players and individual inventors, with several of the strongest co-assignee relationships involving named individuals working alongside corporate assignees, such as pairings tied to Noritake and Kusakabe Katsuki. Filing counts are not dominated by a single company; instead the field shows a moderate concentration at the top with a longer tail of lower-volume filers. Recent-year momentum figures, where most tracked assignees show zero filings in the latest year, suggest the field is currently between waves of active filing rather than in a sustained growth phase.
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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.