This dataset identifies 36 patent families filed between 2015 and the 2026 cut-off that combine NMC cathode chemistry with electrolyte-specific claim language (formulation, additive, high-voltage or nonaqueous electrolyte). Families are the right unit to cite because they collapse continuations and multi-jurisdiction copies of the same invention into one count. That is a modest, tightly scoped corpus compared to the broader NMC cathode literature, which reflects how narrowly the search string targets electrolyte claims rather than cathode composition alone.

Filing activity in this specific claim space peaked at 8 families in 2017 and has not returned to that level since, with the 2022 midpoint at zero. That pattern is consistent with early claim space being staked out quickly around a small number of additive and formulation approaches, after which later entrants had fewer novel combinations left to claim. It does not necessarily mean industry interest in NMC electrolytes has declined — publication lag means the most recent one to two years understate real filing activity, so a renewed wave filed in 2024-2025 may not be fully visible yet.

US20070202405A1 covers the layered lithium nickel manganese cobalt composite oxide powder used as cathode material, along with its production process — it is a composition-of-matter and process claim, not an electrolyte claim. Its citation count (121) is the highest in this corpus by a wide margin, which marks it as foundational prior art that later electrolyte-specific filings had to design their cathode pairing around. High citation counts inside a search corpus like this tend to favour older, foundational filings, so read this as a signal of historical influence on the field rather than a live claim to check for infringement today.

The clearest gap is at the intersection of electrolyte claims and vehicle-level integration: B60K and B60L (vehicle propulsion and EV drive systems) each appear in only 3 of the 36 families, against 36 for H01M generally. That suggests electrolyte-additive claims tied to a specific vehicle operating parameter, rather than to composition alone, are thinly claimed. A second, narrower gap sits around anode pairings other than graphite — most of the cited additive claims specify graphite negative electrodes, leaving alternative anode combinations comparatively open.

The assignee list is short and concentrated, with entities like Umicore's Korea and Belgium operations linked through the strongest co-assignee pair in the set (six shared filings), alongside Tesla, Panasonic, Mitsubishi Chemical and LG Chem appearing individually. Every assignee tracked for recent-year momentum shows zero filings in the latest year, including a -100% year-on-year drop for Tesla's US entity. That flat momentum across the board, combined with the 2017 peak, points to a claim space that was actively contested for a short window and has since gone quiet rather than one with an ongoing filing race.