Nickel Superalloy Coatings Patent Snapshot 2026
The nickel superalloy coatings space is a concentrated, aerospace-dominated field anchored by a tight French industrial-academic consortium led by Safran SA. Annual filing volume peaked in 2021 and has eased since, placing the field in a declining phase on a recent-window basis.
Safran leads a highly concentrated field with strong institutional collaboration
Safran SA sits at the top of the applicant ranking, followed by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), General Electric, and Safran Aircraft Engines — a structure that immediately signals deep aerospace-sector ownership of this technology.
The top five filers together account for 49% of the combined patent records held by the ranked applicants visible in this query, indicating a tight upper tier that leaves limited maneuvering room for challengers. The gap between the first-ranked applicant and the rest is substantial, reinforcing the view that competitive dynamics here are anchored by a small number of incumbents.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safran SA | 22 | |
| 2 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 13 | |
| 3 | General Electric Company | 12 | |
| 4 | Safran Aircraft Engines SAS | 8 | |
| 5 | University of Nantes | 8 | |
| 6 | United Technologies Corporation | 7 | |
| 7 | Rolls-Royce PLC | 6 | |
| 8 | Siemens Energy Inc | 6 | |
| 9 | University of La Rochelle | 5 | |
| 10 | AMI Industries Inc | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | SN DETUDE & DE CONSTR DE MOTEURS DAVIATION (S N E … | 3 | |
| 12 | OFFICE NAT DETUDES & DE RECH AEROSPATIALES | 3 | |
| 13 | Xiangtan University | 3 | |
| 14 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 2 | |
| 15 | Walbar Inc | 2 | |
| 16 | McGill University | 2 | |
| 17 | Westinghouse Electric Corporation | 2 | |
| 18 | Government of the United Kingdom | 2 | |
| 19 | SNECMA Moteurs SA | 1 | |
| 20 | Metlinkair Aviation Technology (Anhui) Co Ltd | 1 |
The leaders’ entrenched positions — built partly through sustained university partnerships — suggest that any new entrant must either differentiate by coating process route or by application segment to avoid direct overlap with existing portfolios.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent current activity; readers should treat apparent silence in 2024–2026 data as an artifact of disclosure timing rather than confirmed inactivity.
Annual volume peaked in 2021; coating deposition dominates but adjacent branches remain sparse
The filing trend chart reveals a field that built up through 2021 and has since eased, while the technology-composition chart shows a visible deposition-process core alongside several lightly covered adjacent branches.
Annual filing trend
Activity climbed from near-zero in 2017 to a peak of 9 records in 2021, then fell sharply in 2022 before recovering to 9 in 2023. Apparent zero counts for 2024 and 2026 reflect publication lag and should not be read as confirmed inactivity. The overall trajectory supports the evidence-based lifecycle classification of decline from the 2021 peak.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C23C (coating and surface deposition) is visible in the technology mix, reflecting the process-engineering emphasis of the field. F01D (turbines) and C22C (alloys) form a secondary cluster tightly linked to aerospace turbine applications. Electroplating (C25D), layered products (B32B), and crystal growth (C30B) each carry much smaller shares, signaling adjacent branches with limited current coverage.
↗ 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.
Thermal barrier coating system with hardenable bon…
A thermal barrier coating system for high temperature nickel-based and cobalt-based superalloys includes a hardenable metallic coating on the substrate and a ceramic topcoat. The metallic coating is preferably a gamma/gamma prime hardenable nickel-based superalloy, and the ceramic topcoat is preferably zirconium oxide having from about 6 to about 20 percent… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abrasive surfaced article for high temperature ser… | 109 |
| 2 | Thermal barrier coating system with hardenable bon… | 80 |
| 3 | Substrate stabilization of diffusion aluminide coa… | 52 |
| 4 | Diffusion coating process | 44 |
| 5 | Abrasive surfaced article for high temperature ser… | 40 |
| 6 | Improved diffusion coating process and products | 30 |
| 7 | Segmented gadolinia zirconia coating film, method … | 28 |
| 8 | Coated superalloy article and a method of coating … | 26 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Safran SA
Safran SA holds the leading position with 22 patent records, concentrating its portfolio across coating and surface deposition (C23C 28), turbine components (F01D 5), and nickel alloy compositions (C22C 19). Its recent-period filings show a downward trend of –71% versus the prior period, consistent with the overall field entering a declining phase. The company’s extensive co-filing with CNRS and the University of Nantes reinforces its position through academic pipeline access.
families: 22Safran Aircraft Engines SAS
Safran Aircraft Engines SAS holds 8 patent records and is classified as a new entrant based on recent filing momentum, meaning it had negligible prior-period activity before entering the corpus. Its technology focus spans nickel alloy compositions (C22C 19), coating deposition (C23C 28), and notably crystal growth (C30B 29) — a branch that the parent company Safran SA does not emphasize — suggesting a complementary rather than duplicative role within the Safran group’s overall strategy.
families: 8Frequently asked questions
Safran SA leads with 22 patent records, followed by CNRS with 13, General Electric with 12, and Safran Aircraft Engines SAS and the University of Nantes each with 8. The top five together account for 49% of the patent records among the ranked applicants visible in this query, indicating a highly concentrated field.
Based on the evidence, the field is classified as Decline. Annual filing volume peaked at 9 records in 2021 and the recent-window growth rate is -31%. The most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag, so apparent near-zero counts for 2024–2026 do not confirm the trend has accelerated.
Europe via the EPO leads with 26 patent records, followed by China and the United States each at 15, and Japan at 12. WIPO PCT filings total 6, suggesting selective rather than blanket international filing strategies among the major applicants.
C23C (coating and surface deposition) is visible in, followed by F01D (turbines) and C22C (alloys). These three branches reflect the aerospace turbine application focus of the visible assignees. Electroplating (C25D), layered products (B32B), and crystal growth (C30B) each carry much smaller shares.
Collaboration is a defining structural feature. The most active co-filing pair is Safran SA and CNRS with 13 joint records, followed by Safran SA and the University of Nantes and CNRS and the University of Nantes each with 8. Safran Aircraft Engines and the University of La Rochelle also each participate in multiple partnerships, forming a dense French industrial-academic consortium.
The sparsest adjacent branches — electroplating and electroforming (C25D, 12 records) and crystal growth (C30B, 7 records) — are observations of relative under-coverage. C25D is plausibly accessible because electrodeposition methods are technically established for bond-coat applications but underrepresented in the portfolio landscape. C30B is nascent, with Safran Aircraft Engines SAS already showing early intent. Both require capabilities distinct from the visible thermal-spray and chemical-vapor deposition core that incumbents hold.
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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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