Non-Precious / Low-Loading Catalyst Patent Landscape
The non-precious and low-loading catalyst space is a relatively small, research-institution-dominated field anchored by 40 patent families, with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research holding a commanding lead. Annual volume peaked in 2020 and has eased since, placing the field in a post-peak phase with activity dispersed across a wide range of chemical and emissions-control applications.
Research institutions dominate a concentrated, post-peak field
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ranks first among the hundred largest filers, followed by BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC and Heesung Catalysts Corp — together these three account for a substantial portion of activity at the top of the ranking.
The top five filers hold 53% of the combined patent records of the hundred largest filers, a high concentration ratio that signals limited entry from diversified industrial players and a field shaped primarily by specialized research organizations and niche commercial actors.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COUNCIL OF SCI & IND RES | 16 | |
| 2 | BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC | 7 | |
| 3 | Heesung Catalysts Corp | 6 | |
| 4 | Nanyang Technological University | 5 | |
| 5 | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 5 | |
| 6 | COMMONWEALTH SCI & IND RES ORG | 4 | |
| 7 | Toppan Inc | 3 | |
| 8 | National Institute of Chemistry (Slovenia) | 3 | |
| 9 | Mahajan Avinash Narendra | 2 | |
| 10 | Chaudhari Raghunath Vitthal | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | 2 | |
| 12 | NewSouth Innovations Pty Ltd | 2 | |
| 13 | Hydro X Ltd | 1 | |
| 14 | Nanjing Forestry University | 1 | |
| 15 | Mitsubishi Oil Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 16 | Hubei Engineering University | 1 | |
| 17 | PRESIDENT & FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE | 1 | |
| 18 | Vellore Institute of Technology | 1 | |
| 19 | University of Maryland Office of Technology Commercialization | 1 | |
| 20 | Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI) | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply that new entrants face an established research-institution bloc, while the relatively low absolute volumes suggest room for well-targeted industrial players to establish differentiated positions — particularly in application branches where current coverage is sparse.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent actual filing activity; apparent recent softness should not be read as a structural retreat. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2020 peak, broad chemical coverage, and sparse adjacent branches
Two patterns define the structural picture: annual filing volume surged to a peak in 2020 and has since eased, and the technology mix is broad, with catalysis fundamentals dominant but several application-layer branches carrying relatively light coverage.
Annual filing trend
Filings climbed from 2017 through a clear 2020 peak of 14 patent records, then dropped sharply. Years from 2023 onward should be read with caution given publication lag; the apparent low counts in 2024–2026 do not necessarily reflect reduced inventor activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01J (chemical and physical processes, catalysis) is the dominant branch by a wide margin. Organic chemistry classes (C07C, C07B, C07D, C07F) together represent a substantial secondary cluster, while emissions control (F01N), electrochemistry (H01M, C25B), and nanotechnology (B82Y) are present but carry lower patent-record counts — flagging them as relatively under-served relative to the core.
↗ 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.
Process utilizing catalytic material for the reduc…
Catalytic material for reducing nitrous oxides in flue gases in the presence of ammonia in which titanium oxide is used as the starting material and the latter is milled together with vanadium oxide and one or more oxides of the elements tungsten, molybdenum, phosphorus, chromium, copper, iron, uranium and is thereafter subjected to at least one thermal… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Process utilizing catalytic material for the reduc… | 70 |
| 2 | Method for catalytic dehydrogenation of hydrocarbo… | 39 |
| 3 | PtRu core-shell nanoparticles for heterogeneous ca… | 38 |
| 4 | Method for catalytic dehydrogenation of hydrocarbo… | 30 |
| 5 | Novel catalytic formulation and its preparation | 27 |
| 6 | TWC SYSTEM FOR FUEL CUT NOx CONTROL | 17 |
| 7 | A novel catalytic formulation and its preparation … | 15 |
| 8 | TWC system for fuel cut NO<sub>x </sub>control | 14 |
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 field structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of post-peak filing volume, high concentration among public research bodies, and multi-branch technical coverage creates a specific strategic context for engineers and R&D planners evaluating entry or expansion.
Post-peak, declining annual volume from a 2020 high
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2020 peak of 14 patent records. This suggests the field’s first wave of systematic patenting — largely by research institutions — has passed. New entrants may find the core B01J space increasingly claimed, while application-layer branches remain open.
Lifecycle: DeclineTop-heavy ranking with a large tier gap below the leader
The top five filers account for 53% of the combined patent records of the hundred largest filers, and the leader — Council of Scientific and Industrial Research — holds 16 patent records versus 7 for the second-ranked BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC. This gap indicates that no single commercial incumbent has consolidated the space, leaving room for focused industrial challengers in specific application domains.
High concentrationBASF and Heesung Catalysts are the most active co-filers
The most active co-filing pair in the dataset is BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC and Heesung Catalysts Corp, with 6 joint filings — the strongest collaborative signal in the field. A second pair, NewSouth Innovations and Kohodo Hydrogen Energy, shows 1 joint filing, as does the Serov Alexey and STC UNM pairing. The ecosystem is small but suggests emissions-control co-development as the primary collaborative axis.
Limited ecosystemUS leads filings; India and EPO are significant secondary offices
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with 16 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 13 and India with 10 — reflecting both the presence of the Indian public research bloc (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) and the commercial importance of the US and European emissions-control markets. WIPO PCT filings (8 records) indicate some applicants are pursuing broad international coverage. China, the UK, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore each carry smaller but non-trivial counts.
US–EPO–India triangleGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC | Heesung Catalysts Corp | 6 |
| NewSouth Innovations Pty Ltd | Kohodo Hydrogen Energy Pty Ltd | 1 |
| SEROV ALEXEY | STC UNM | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research leads; BASF–Heesung form the main commercial bloc
The leader is a government research body with broad catalysis coverage; the two main commercial challengers operate closely together in emissions-control applications and have demonstrated the field’s strongest co-filing relationship.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
With 16 patent records, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is the clear field leader. Its technology emphasis centers on B01J 31 and B01J 27 (catalysis fundamentals) and C07C 45 (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds), indicating a broad research mandate spanning catalyst design and organic synthesis applications. No momentum trend data is available for this applicant in the current period.
patent records: 16BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC
BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC holds 7 patent records and concentrates on B01J 23 and B01J 35 (catalysis) and B01D 53 (separation and gas treatment), signaling a clear emissions-control application focus. Its 6-filing co-development relationship with Heesung Catalysts Corp (6 patent records, same IPC emphasis) is the defining collaborative structure in the field, suggesting a joint development program in automotive or industrial exhaust treatment.
patent records: 7| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches: electrochemistry, heterocyclic chemistry, and exhaust treatment
Several IPC branches sit adjacent to the dominant B01J catalysis core but carry relatively light patent-record counts, suggesting they are under-served relative to the technical opportunity — though each would require independent validation of commercial viability before committing R&D resources.
H01M · Batteries, cells & fuel cells
With only 8 patent records in this branch, the application of non-precious and low-loading catalysts to electrochemical energy devices — fuel cell electrodes, oxygen reduction catalysts, and battery interfaces — is notably sparse relative to the core catalysis literature. Toppan Inc and NewSouth Innovations already show IPC overlap with H01M and C25B, demonstrating a technically plausible path. An entrant with existing electrochemistry capability could cross into this space with targeted catalyst development work.
Search this in Eureka →C07D · Heterocyclic compounds
Heterocyclic compound synthesis (C07D, 11 patent records) is adjacent to the dominant organic chemistry cluster but carries a lower share of current filings. Non-precious catalysts for N-heterocycle formation and functionalization are industrially relevant for pharmaceutical and agrochemical manufacturing, where platinum-group-metal reduction is a cost and supply-chain driver. The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology’s C07B and C07C coverage suggests an accessible technical bridge into C07D for institutions already active in organic synthesis catalysis.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B01J 23 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 37 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 35 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 27 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 31 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | Strong · 11 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Strong · 13 | Strong · 15 |
| BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC | Strong · 12 | Strong · 8 | Strong · 12 | Absent | Absent |
| Heesung Catalysts Corp | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent |
| Nanyang Technological University | Strong · 5 | Moderate · 2 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent |
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Toppan Inc | Absent | Absent | Strong · 3 | Strong · 3 | Absent |
| Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence covers 40 patent families in scope for the non-precious and low-loading catalyst space. Applicant rankings are expressed in patent records, which can exceed the family count because a family may be classified under multiple IPC classes or filed in multiple jurisdictions.
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ranks first with 16 patent records, more than double the second-ranked BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC (7 patent records). Its focus spans core catalysis sub-classes B01J 31 and B01J 27, as well as C07C 45 for acyclic organic chemistry.
The field is classified in a Decline stage, with annual filings having eased back from a peak of 14 patent records in 2020. The most recent years (2024–2026) carry publication lag and likely under-represent actual activity, so the near-term trajectory should be read cautiously.
The United States leads with 16 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 13 and India with 10. WIPO PCT filings account for 8 patent records. The strong Indian presence reflects the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s domestic filing base.
The most active co-filing pair is BASF Mobile Emissions Catalysts LLC and Heesung Catalysts Corp, with 6 joint filings — by far the strongest collaborative signal in the evidence. Two other pairs (NewSouth Innovations with Kohodo Hydrogen Energy, and Serov Alexey with STC UNM) each show 1 joint filing. Overall collaborative activity is limited.
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) carries only 8 patent records despite clear technical relevance to non-precious electrocatalysts. C07D (heterocyclic compounds, 11 records), C07F (organo-metallic and non-carbon compounds, 12 records), F01N (exhaust treatment, 11 records), and B01D (separation processes, 13 records) are also relatively sparse compared to the dominant B01J catalysis branch (69 records). These are observations of relative sparsity and would each require independent validation before being pursued as investment targets.
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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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