PEM Electrolyzer Bipolar Plate Patent Snapshot 2026
This is a highly concentrated, early-stage field in which the top five filers account for 86% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output and Ohmium International commands a clear lead. Activity surged from 2021 onward with a 160% multi-year growth rate, though annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak and the field remains small enough that a focused entrant can meaningfully shift the competitive balance.
Ohmium leads a tightly held, fast-growing field
Ohmium International holds the top position with 7 patent families, nearly double the 5 families held by the second-ranked applicant, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). The remaining applicants each hold 3 or fewer families.
The top five filers collectively represent 86% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating an unusually concentrated visible assignee structure for an emerging technology. A clear tier gap separates Ohmium and TNO from the three mid-tier applicants — IGAS Energy, Siemens Energy Global, and ACS Industries — each holding 2–3 patent families.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohmium International Inc. | 7 | |
| 2 | Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) | 5 | |
| 3 | IGAS Energy GmbH | 3 | |
| 4 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 2 | |
| 5 | ACS Industries Inc. | 2 | |
| 6 | Zhejiang Haizhuo New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 7 | Siemens AG | 1 | |
| 8 | Hoeller Electrolyzer GmbH | 1 |
Ohmium’s lead, combined with TNO’s research-institute profile, suggests that applied R&D organizations rather than large industrials are currently setting the technical agenda. Siemens AG and Siemens Energy Global together reflect Siemens’ corporate interest but their combined footprint remains modest.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual filing activity; treat 2024–2026 figures as provisional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A post-2021 surge anchored in core electrolytic chemistry
The filing trend and technology composition together reveal a field that emerged sharply from near-zero activity before 2021, with intellectual property concentrated in electrolytic production and cell-hardware classifications. The two charts below show when activity accelerated and which IPC branches define the technical core.
Annual filing trend
Filings were zero from 2017 through 2020, jumped to 5 families in 2021, and peaked at 8 in 2022. The apparent step-down in 2023–2025 reflects normal publication lag rather than confirmed retreat; the multi-year growth rate of 160% confirms that the recent three-year window sits well above the prior one. Interpret 2024 and 2025 figures as understated.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) is visible in the branch mix with 22 records, establishing it as the primary technical arena. C23C (coating and surface deposition) is the second-ranked branch with 5 records, reflecting active work on protective and conductive coatings for plate surfaces. H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) and C21B (iron production) appear at the periphery.
↗ 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.
Anode pack assembly with micro-expanded metal mesh…
A PEM electrolyzer PTL is created from micro-expanded mesh metal foil layers to allow for a precise level of control over the thickness of the layers, porosity, tortuosity, pore size, interlayer connectivity, and surface roughness. Pore sizes range from 3 μm to 30 μm with a porosity (mesh open area) of 10-50%. A PEM anode pack assembly is formed from the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bipolar plate for an electrolyzer, electrolyzer an… | 8 |
| 2 | Electrolyzer bipolar plates and porous gas diffusi… | 6 |
| 3 | Electrolyzer bipolar plates and porous gas diffusi… | 5 |
| 4 | Method for providing a substrate for an electroche… | 3 |
| 5 | Frame for PEM electrolytic cells and PEM electroly… | 2 |
| 6 | Electrolyzer bipolar plates and porous gas diffusi… | 2 |
| 7 | Electrolyzer bipolar plates and porous gas diffusi… | 2 |
| 8 | Electrolyzer bipolar plates and porous gas diffusi… | 2 |
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.
Ohmium International
Ohmium holds 7 patent families, the largest portfolio in scope, with technology emphasis spanning C25B 11 (electrode materials), C25B 9 (cell hardware), and C25B 1 (electrolytic processes) — all core to commercial PEM electrolyzer design. Its momentum is classified as a new entrant, meaning its entire portfolio has been built within the recent filing window, signaling rapid, deliberate IP construction rather than legacy accumulation.
families: 7Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO)
TNO holds 5 patent families and distinguishes itself with a leading focus on C23C 16 (chemical vapor deposition and coating processes), alongside C25B 11 and C25B 13 (membrane and separator technology). This coating-centric profile suggests TNO is pursuing surface engineering approaches to plate durability and conductivity — a technically differentiated route from Ohmium’s broader stack-design focus. TNO’s momentum is also classified as a new entrant.
families: 5Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 19 patent families. This is a small but fast-growing field; the multi-year growth rate between the prior and recent three-year windows is 160%.
Ohmium International holds 7 patent families, the largest portfolio among all identified applicants. The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) is second with 5 families.
The top five filers account for 86% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating a highly concentrated field. The remaining applicants each hold 3 or fewer patent families.
The United States leads with 8 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) and India with 3 each, and Canada and China with 2 each. WIPO PCT filings stand at 2.
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) is visible in with 22 records. C23C (coating and surface deposition) is second with 5 records, driven largely by TNO’s coating-focused portfolio.
On a multi-year basis the field is still in a growth stage, with the recent three-year window 160% above the prior three-year window. Annual volume peaked in 2022 and has eased since, but the most recent years are understated by publication lag and should not be read as a confirmed decline.
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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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