Operando Catalysis Characterization Patent Snapshot 2026
The patent corpus for operando catalysis characterization is extremely small — 5 patent families in scope — and is entirely controlled by a single academic-industry collaboration between the University of Toronto and TotalEnergies. Filing activity peaked in 2019 and has produced no new families since, placing the field in a post-peak phase with substantial room for new entrants.
One collaboration holds every ranked family
The University of Toronto (Governing Council) is the sole ranked applicant, holding all 5 patent families in scope. The top-five filers’ share of the ranked applicants visible in this query stands at 100%, reflecting a corpus so concentrated it currently has no meaningful competitive tier below the leader.
There is no discernible tier gap between a leader and challengers — there are no challengers. The entire evidence snapshot is defined by a single joint filing program between an academic institution and an energy major.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE UNIV OF TORONTO | 5 |
The leader’s position implies low barriers to entry for any new filer: there is no incumbent thicket to navigate, and the visible technology routes (electrolytic production of compounds and catalysis process engineering) remain lightly covered outside this collaboration.
Note that the most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and may not yet appear in this corpus; the current zero-filing years at the tail should not be read as a confirmed permanent halt. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A single 2019 cohort defines the entire filing record
All 5 patent families were filed in 2019; no filings appear in any other year across the 2017–2026 window. The technology composition is narrow but spans catalysis fundamentals, electrochemical synthesis, and energy conversion.
Annual filing trend
The trend chart shows a single spike of 5 families in 2019 and zero activity in all surrounding years. Because publication lag can suppress filings from the last 18–24 months, post-2023 zeros should be treated as provisional rather than confirmed.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) and C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) each account for 5 patent records, reflecting the collaboration’s focus on boron-doped copper catalysts for electrochemical CO2 conversion. C30B (crystal growth, 4 records) and H01M (batteries and fuel cells, 2 records) are adjacent branches present at lower weight.
↗ 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.
Boron-doped copper catalysts for efficient convers…
The invention relates to an electrocatalyst for catalyzing conversion of carbon dioxide into multi-carbon compounds comprising a boron-doped copper catalytic material. The electrocatalyst is produced by impregnation of a single crystal Cu (111) material with boric acid or by reacting Cu(ll) chloride with borohydride. The electrocatalyst is used for… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boron-doped copper catalysts for efficient convers… | 6 |
| 2 | Boron-doped copper catalysts for efficient convers… | 2 |
| 3 | Boron-doped copper catalysts for efficient convers… | 1 |
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.
University of Toronto (Governing Council)
Holds all 5 patent families in scope. Technology emphasis is concentrated in C25B 11 and C25B 3 (electrolytic production of compounds) and B01J 35 (catalysis process engineering), reflecting boron-doped copper catalyst research for CO2 electroreduction. Applicant momentum data is not available for this corpus.
families: 5TotalEnergies
Co-applicant on all 5 families alongside the University of Toronto, with identical IPC focus: C25B 11, C25B 3, and B01J 35. TotalEnergies’ participation as an industry co-filer signals strategic interest in electrocatalytic CO2 conversion as a core application. No independent filings in this corpus are attributed to TotalEnergies alone.
families: 5Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 5 patent families in scope. This is a very small corpus, indicating that formal patent protection in this specific area is nascent.
The Governing Council of the University of Toronto is the sole ranked applicant, holding all 5 patent families. TotalEnergies is identified as a co-filer on all 5 families through collaboration data, making the two organizations jointly the only patent holders in scope.
All 5 patent families were filed in 2019, which represents the single peak year. No filings appear in the record before or after 2019. The lifecycle is classified as Decline. However, publication lag means filings from the most recent 18–24 months may not yet be visible.
The visible IPC classes are B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) and C25B (electrolytic production of compounds), each covering 5 patent records. C30B (crystal growth) appears in 4 records and H01M (batteries and fuel cells) in 2 records. The subject matter centers on boron-doped copper catalysts for electrochemical CO2 conversion.
Patent records appear in three jurisdictions: Canada (2 records), WIPO via PCT (2 records), and Europe via EPO (1 record). Canada leads as the primary filing office, consistent with the University of Toronto as the originating institution.
Yes. With only 5 patent families — all from a single collaboration that has not filed since 2019 — there is no incumbent filing pressure. Adjacent branches such as C30B and H01M are sparsely covered. Any organization entering this space today would immediately rank among the top filers.
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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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