Nanocatalyst / Single-Atom Catalyst Patent Landscape
The nanocatalyst and single-atom catalyst patent space is moderately concentrated, with Lummus Technology and SDC Materials together anchoring a field that peaked in 2020 and has since eased in annual volume. Chemical catalysis dominates the technology mix, while electrochemical and energy storage branches remain comparatively sparse and represent adjacent areas for differentiated entry.
Lummus Technology leads a moderately concentrated field
Lummus Technology holds the top position among ranked applicants, followed closely by SDC Materials. The top five filers account for 37% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate rather than extreme concentration.
A clear two-tier structure exists: Lummus Technology and SDC Materials sit well above a cluster of academic institutions and specialty firms — including the University of Connecticut, Yale University, Nanyang Technological University, Fuzhou University, Umicore, and Wayne State University — each holding five or six patent records.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lummus Technology Inc. | 18 | |
| 2 | SDC Materials Inc. | 15 | |
| 3 | University of Connecticut | 6 | |
| 4 | Yale University | 5 | |
| 5 | Nanyang Technological University | 5 | |
| 6 | Fuzhou University | 5 | |
| 7 | UMICORE AG & CO KG | 5 | |
| 8 | Wayne State University | 5 | |
| 9 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | 4 | |
| 10 | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center | 3 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Jiangnan University | 3 | |
| 12 | Regents of the University of California | 3 | |
| 13 | King Abdulaziz University | 2 | |
| 14 | University of South Carolina | 2 | |
| 15 | Jilin University | 2 | |
| 16 | Qatar University | 2 | |
| 17 | Applied Nanostructured Solutions LLC | 2 | |
| 18 | Pusan National University Industry-University Cooperation Foundation | 2 | |
| 19 | Siluria Technologies Inc. | 2 | |
| 20 | Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology | 1 |
The dominance of two commercial entities at the top, surrounded largely by universities, suggests that industrial translation remains concentrated while academic exploration is distributed across multiple institutions globally.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are likely under-counted due to standard patent publication lag and should not be interpreted as a definitive measure of current activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2020 filing peak followed by easing volume; chemical catalysis dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a pronounced 2020 peak that has not been sustained, while the technology composition chart shows catalysis-process classes as overwhelmingly dominant with several application domains at much lower representation.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings rose to a peak in 2020 then eased, consistent with a field moving past its primary growth surge. Years 2024–2026 reflect publication lag and will grow as pending applications are published; the apparent low counts for those years should not be read as a continuation of the post-peak decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01J (chemical and physical processes and catalysis) is by far the dominant IPC class, reflecting the core catalytic chemistry focus of the corpus. Secondary classes — including C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds), B82Y (nanotechnology applications), B01D (separation processes), and C02F (water and wastewater treatment) — each appear at substantially lower levels, signaling that application-specific branches remain underdeveloped relative to the foundational catalysis class.
↗ 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.
Method of preparing core-shell copper nanoparticle…
Disclosed herein is a method of preparing a Cu/Cu<sub>2</sub>O core-shell copper nanoparticle catalyst having high catalytic activity from [Cu<sub>3</sub>(BTC)<sub>2</sub>] and NaBH<sub>4 </sub>via a simple chemical reduction method. Also disclosed is a method of preparing a chalcogenide compound by using the nanoparticle catalyst as a heterogeneous… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coated substrates for use in catalysis and catalyt… | 65 |
| 2 | Coated substrates for use in catalysis and catalyt… | 59 |
| 3 | Coated substrates for use in catalysis and catalyt… | 59 |
| 4 | Gas sensor and member using metal oxide nanotubes … | 54 |
| 5 | Method and system for forming plug and play metal … | 38 |
| 6 | Coated substrates for use in catalysis and catalyt… | 36 |
| 7 | Coated substrates for use in catalysis and catalyt… | 31 |
| 8 | Metal substrates having carbon nanotubes grown the… | 30 |
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 structural data means for R&D investment decisions
The lifecycle stage, applicant concentration, collaboration patterns, and geographic distribution together define the risk-reward profile for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Post-peak: annual volume has eased from the 2020 high
The field has been classified as in decline based on annual filings easing back from the 2020 peak. This indicates that the first wave of broad catalyst-structure patents has largely been filed, and future filings are more likely to address incremental refinement or application-specific claims. Entrants should focus on differentiated claim architecture rather than foundational coverage.
Lifecycle: Post-peakTwo commercial leaders above a distributed academic base
The top five filers hold 37% of the combined total of the hundred largest filers, with Lummus Technology and SDC Materials clearly separated from the rest. The remaining active players are predominantly universities, suggesting that commercial protection outside the top two is thin. This creates selective openings for industrial players willing to build claim portfolios in application domains currently held only by academic filers.
Moderate concentrationCollaboration activity is limited and concentrated at Wayne State University
The available collaboration evidence shows three co-filing relationships, all involving Wayne State University: pairings with Yan Shuli, Salley Steven O, and NG K Y Simon, each recorded once. This suggests that most applicants are filing independently rather than through formal cross-institutional partnerships. The sparse co-filing network leaves room for consortium-based approaches as a strategic differentiator.
Low co-filing densityUS-primary filing with China as the secondary jurisdiction
The United States is the leading filing jurisdiction, followed by China, with Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) as secondary routes. Canada, Israel, India, South Korea, Australia, and the United Kingdom each have smaller presences. This distribution implies that protection strategies centered on the US and China cover the majority of active filer attention, while EPO and PCT routes serve international expansion needs.
US + 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 |
|---|---|---|
| YAN SHULI | Wayne State University | 1 |
| Salley Steven O | Wayne State University | 1 |
| NG K Y Simon | Wayne State University | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Lummus Technology and SDC Materials lead by route emphasis and record count
The two commercial leaders differ meaningfully in their technical focus: Lummus Technology is concentrated in heterogeneous catalysis and hydrocarbon chemistry, while SDC Materials emphasizes catalyst substrate coatings and separation processes.
Lummus Technology
Lummus Technology holds 18 patent records, the highest count among ranked applicants. Its portfolio is tightly focused on B01J 23 (supported metal catalysts), B01J 35 (catalyst physical form and properties), and C07C 2 (hydrocarbon conversion), reflecting a petrochemical and refining orientation. Recent momentum shows a sharp decline of 83% versus the prior period, suggesting its foundational filing wave is largely complete.
18 patent recordsSDC Materials
SDC Materials holds 15 patent records, second overall, with focus distributed across B01D 53 (gas separation and treatment), B01J 35 (catalyst form), and B01J 29 (zeolite and molecular sieve catalysts), indicating a broader substrate-coating and emissions-control positioning. Applicant momentum data for SDC Materials is not separately listed in the recent-trend evidence, so trajectory direction remains evidence pending.
15 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Lummus Technology Inc. | 2 | ▼ -83% |
| Yale University | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Fuzhou University | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Several IPC classes appear in the corpus at notably lower share relative to the dominant B01J class, pointing to areas where nanocatalyst and single-atom catalyst techniques are being explored but claim density remains low.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
C25B appears at a comparatively low share of IPC records within the corpus. Single-atom catalysts are technically relevant to electrochemical synthesis — including CO2 reduction and nitrogen reduction reactions — where atomic-level metal site control can directly improve selectivity and overpotential. The low current patent density, combined with strong academic interest in electrocatalysis, suggests this branch may be underprotected relative to its technical maturity. Entry via claims targeting specific single-atom electrocatalyst structures for defined electrochemical transformations represents a plausible differentiation path.
Search this in Eureka →H01M · Batteries, cells and fuel cells
H01M appears at similarly low share within the corpus, despite nanocatalysts being directly applicable to fuel cell oxygen reduction reactions and lithium-air battery cathodes — both high-value application domains. The current low patent density under this class, relative to the B01J core, indicates that applicants have not yet systematically pursued fuel-cell-specific claim strategies within this corpus. Academic groups such as Yale University (with water treatment focus via C02F) and Nanyang Technological University (with broad catalysis coverage) could plausibly extend toward this branch.
Search this in Eureka →Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 78 patent families in scope, spanning global filings in the nanocatalyst and single-atom catalyst domain.
Lummus Technology is the top-ranked applicant with 18 patent records, ahead of SDC Materials with 15 patent records.
The field has been classified as post-peak: annual filings reached a high in 2020 and have since eased, indicating the primary foundational filing wave has passed.
The United States is the leading filing jurisdiction, followed by China. Europe via the EPO and the WIPO PCT route are secondary channels, with Canada, Israel, India, South Korea, Australia, and the United Kingdom each holding smaller presences.
Several classes appear at comparatively low record counts relative to the dominant B01J catalysis class: these include B82Y (nanotechnology applications), B01D (separation processes), C02F (water and wastewater treatment), C25B (electrolytic production of compounds), and H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells).
Multiple universities hold five or six patent records each in the ranked corpus, including the University of Connecticut, Yale University, Nanyang Technological University, Fuzhou University, and Wayne State University, alongside a broader set of institutions globally.
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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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