NMC Battery Anode Material Patent Landscape 2026
- Filing activity peaked in 2018 at 7 families and has not returned to that level since — the midpoint year of 2022 shows just 1 family, pointing to a flat-to-declining filing pattern rather than a build-up toward a current peak.
- Every one of the 14 families sits inside H01M with no spread into adjacent IPC subclasses, meaning the entire dataset is contesting one classification rather than fragmenting across battery-adjacent fields.
- The most-cited record accrues 51 citations versus 8-20 for the next tier, so influence in this set is concentrated in a small cluster of silicon oxide active-material filings rather than distributed evenly.
Filing growth compares 2021 (2 records) with 2024 (1) — 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 14 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape tracks patent families at the intersection of NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) cathode chemistry and anode active materials — silicon, silicon oxide (SiOx), and graphite — as claimed together within a single filing. The search restricts to H01M4/38, H01M4/587 and H01M4/133, the classification range covering electrode active materials for secondary cells, so the set captures electrode-level engineering rather than cell assembly or pack-level claims.
The corpus is small — 14 published families across the full window — which makes this a niche intersection rather than a mainstream filing category. Filing counts for the most recent years are necessarily incomplete, since publication typically lags filing by around 18 months; the 2026 figure of 0 should be read as data not yet surfaced, not as a stop in activity.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 14-family set: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which classification codes carry the claims.
Filing trend
Filings rose to a peak of 7 in 2018, then dropped sharply; by the 2022 midpoint only 1 family published, and the trend has not recovered. Recent years understate true activity because of publication lag, but the shape — a single early peak with no second wave — is distinct from a technology still building momentum.
IPC composition
All 14 records classify under H01M, batteries, cells and fuel cells. There is no measurable spread into separate subclasses within this set, which means the intersection of NMC cathode claims and anode active-material claims is being prosecuted as a single, tightly-scoped electrode problem rather than as a multi-front technology.
Shares are the percentage of the 14 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on NMC Battery Anode Material with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about nmc battery anode material and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited records and a representative filing
Synchronous polymerized non-flammable quasi-solid-state electrolyte for solid-state batteries
A rechargeable battery combines a cathode drawn from lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, or lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide with an anode drawn from lithium, lithium titanium oxide, graphite, or silicon. A separator sits between the two, impregnated with an in-situ-formed, synchronously polymerized non-flammable quasi-solid-state electrolyte built from a monomer, lithium salt and cross-linker solution that wets both active materials.Filed by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, published 2025-06-10.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20190207209A1 | Electrodes with silicon oxide active materials for lithium ion cells achieving high capacity, high energy den… | 51 |
| 2 | US20200411901A1 | Lithium ion cells with high performance electroyte and silicon oxide active materials achieving very long cyc… | 20 |
| 3 | WO2019126549A1 | Electrodes with silicon oxide active materials for lithium ion cells achieving high capacity, high energy den… | 10 |
| 4 | US11094925B2 | Electrodes with silicon oxide active materials for lithium ion cells achieving high capacity, high energy den… | 10 |
| 5 | US20210336251A1 | Electrodes with silicon oxide active materials for lithium ion cells achieving high capacity, high energy den… | 8 |
| 6 | US20190198867A1 | Cathode of lithium ion battery | 6 |
| 7 | US11973178B2 | Lithium ion cells with high performance electrolyte and silicon oxide active materials achieving very long cy… | 4 |
| 8 | US11228028B2 | Cathode of lithium ion battery | 2 |
| 9 | US20240297338A1 | Lithium ion cells with high performance electrolyte and silicon oxide active materials achieving very long cy… | 1 |
Citation counts reward older filings simply for having more time to accumulate citations inside this corpus; treat the ranking as a measure of influence on later filers, not as a signal that these claims are still the most defensible today.
Publication numbers are shown where the record carries one (9 of 9 rows); clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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What the filing and citation data actually indicate for anyone deciding where to file or who to watch.
One early peak, no second wave
The trend rises to 7 families in 2018 and falls back toward single digits, with the 2022 midpoint at just 1. That pattern reads as an early land-grab followed by disengagement, not as a technology still accelerating toward the present.
No classification spread
Every family in this set sits in H01M, the batteries and cells classification. There is no visible drift into separate device or materials-processing subclasses, so the claim space here is narrowly electrode-focused rather than distributed across a broader battery stack.
Influence sits with silicon oxide active-material claims
The most-cited record draws 51 citations, more than double the next tier of 8-20. Several of the top-cited records share near-identical titles around silicon oxide active materials for lithium ion cells, suggesting one filing family's language has become the reference point that later filers cite past.
Filing is concentrated at the USPTO
Ten of the 14 records were filed at the US receiving office, with Europe, India and WIPO each taking a single-digit share. That skew suggests the commercial stakes for this specific NMC-plus-anode claim intersection have been read as primarily a US market question.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to nmc battery anode material, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
With only 14 families in the set, no single assignee holds a dominant position; recent-year momentum across the tracked assignees is flat rather than accelerating.
No assignee is currently active
Every assignee tracked for recent-year momentum — spanning US, Taiwanese, Hong Kong, French and other filers — shows 0 filings in the latest year. That is consistent with the overall flat-to-declining trend rather than a signal about any one organisation's strategy.
A mixed international bench, no repeat filer
The assignees named in the momentum data cover corporate, research-institute and university filers across at least three regions. None shows the multi-year filing cadence that would mark out a dedicated program in this exact NMC-plus-anode intersection.
US filing dominates the set
Ten of 14 families were filed at the US receiving office. Anyone designing around the top-cited silicon oxide active-material claims should expect the tightest prior-art density there, with lighter coverage in Europe, India and the PCT route.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Zenlabs Energy, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) | 0 | — |
| The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | 0 | — |
| Renault S.A.S. | 0 | — |
| Ionblox, Inc. | 0 | — |
Where to take this
The dataset points to a narrow, currently quiet claim space with one dominant citation cluster and a US filing skew.
Check freedom-to-operate against the top-cited cluster
The silicon oxide active-material filings cited 51, 20, 10, 10 and 8 times share overlapping language; a design-around review should start there before assuming open space.
Explore in Eureka →Watch for a filing restart
With 0 filings in the latest tracked year across every named assignee, any new filing activity would represent a meaningful change from the current flat pattern.
Set up monitoring in Eureka →Common questions
This dataset identifies 14 published patent families that combine NMC cathode chemistry claims with silicon, silicon oxide, or graphite anode active-material claims, restricted to the H01M4/38, H01M4/587 and H01M4/133 classification range. That is a small, tightly scoped corpus rather than a broad technology category. Filing counts for the most recent years are understated because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the true current total is likely somewhat higher.
Based on the tracked trend, filing peaked at 7 families in 2018 and has not returned to that level; the 2022 midpoint shows only 1 family. That shape indicates a flat-to-declining pattern rather than sustained growth. Because recent years are still filling in due to publication lag, it is worth re-checking this trend in 12-18 months before treating it as a permanent decline.
The most-cited record in this set draws 51 citations, covering silicon oxide active materials for lithium ion cells achieving high capacity, energy density and long cycle life. The next tier sits at 8-20 citations, including related filings on similar silicon oxide electrode language. High citation counts favour older filings simply because they have had more time in the corpus, so treat this as a map of influence on later filers rather than a ranking of current technical strength.
The under-claimed pockets visible in this dataset include SiOx-graphite blended anode ratios, solid-state electrolyte wetting of NMC cathodes, silicon anode cycle-life additives, lithium titanium oxide co-formulation with NMC, and cross-linked monomer separator impregnation. These sit adjacent to the dense, highly-cited silicon oxide active-material cluster but show thin direct claim coverage in the current record set. A first claim in any of these areas should specify the exact material ratio, cathode-anode pairing, or process step rather than claiming the general combination, since the general combination is already well covered.
US12327838B2, filed by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and published 2025-06-10, claims a rechargeable battery pairing a cathode selected from several lithium metal oxide chemistries — including lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide — with an anode selected from lithium, lithium titanium oxide, graphite, or silicon, separated by a separator impregnated with an in-situ-formed, synchronously polymerized non-flammable quasi-solid-state electrolyte. The novelty sits in the electrolyte formation and separator impregnation process, not in the cathode or anode material choices themselves, which are claimed broadly across several known chemistries. Work using a different electrolyte-formation route, or a liquid rather than quasi-solid-state electrolyte, would likely sit outside this specific claim scope.
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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.