Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction Patent Landscape 2026
The photocatalytic CO2 reduction field is in a growth stage, with annual filings expanding sharply over the review window and China-based filings dominating the lead office count. Activity is moderately concentrated among academic institutions, with Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology holding the top position and a small number of Chinese universities collectively shaping the technical agenda.
Academic institutions lead a moderately concentrated field
Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology holds the top position in the ranking, followed by Jiangsu University, Fuzhou University, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and the University of Michigan. The top five filers collectively account for 24% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers.
The field is moderately concentrated: the leading applicant holds a meaningful gap over the second-ranked institution, but the tier below is closely bunched, with several universities separated by only a handful of patent families. No single entity commands a dominant share, leaving room for challengers to close the gap.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology | 45 | |
| 2 | Jiangsu University | 28 | |
| 3 | Fuzhou University | 15 | |
| 4 | COUNCIL OF SCI & IND RES | 15 | |
| 5 | Regents of the University of Michigan | 13 | |
| 6 | Changzhou University | 12 | |
| 7 | IFP Energies Nouvelles | 11 | |
| 8 | United Arab Emirates University | 11 | |
| 9 | Beijing University of Technology | 9 | |
| 10 | University of St Andrews | 9 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Beijing University of Chemical Technology | 9 | |
| 12 | Oxford University Innovation Ltd | 8 | |
| 13 | University of Jinan | 7 | |
| 14 | Universiti Teknologi Malaysia | 7 | |
| 15 | Yangtze Delta Region Institute of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | 7 | |
| 16 | Liaoning University | 7 | |
| 17 | Nanjing University | 7 | |
| 18 | University of South Australia | 6 | |
| 19 | Siemens AG | 6 | |
| 20 | Regents of the University of Colorado | 6 |
The leadership of academic and public-research institutions rather than industrial incumbents indicates the technology remains in a research-driven phase. Industrial players such as Siemens AG are present but ranked well below the top academic filers, suggesting that technology transfer and commercialisation pathways are still forming.
Figures for 2025 and 2026 are subject to publication lag and will increase as pending applications are published; they should not be read as indicating a change in trajectory. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filings growing rapidly; catalysis chemistry dominates the technology mix
Annual filing volumes have climbed substantially across the review window, and the technology is concentrated heavily in catalysis-related IPC classes. A secondary cluster of inorganic chemistry and carbon compound classes reflects the material-synthesis focus of most active researchers.
Annual filing trend
Filings rose from 12 in 2017 to a recorded peak of 118 in 2024, representing a multi-year growth rate of 198%. The 2025 and 2026 counts are suppressed by publication lag and will rise as applications are published; the apparent flattening in those years should not be treated as a real slowdown.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) is the dominant class by a wide margin, reflecting the photocatalyst design focus of most filings. C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds) and C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) form a secondary tier, capturing carbon-material synthesis and product chemistry respectively. Smaller clusters in B01D (separation), C25B (electrolytic production), and B82Y (nanotechnology) indicate adjacent technical directions receiving comparatively less attention.
↗ 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.
Photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction method usi…
The invention relates to a photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction method carried out in liquid and/or gas phase under irradiation, using a photocatalyst containing a first semiconductor, particles comprising one or more metallic-state elements M, and a second semiconductor SC, wherein the method is carried out by contacting a feedstock containing the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
Open this patent in Eureka →| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light Absorbing Oxide Materials for Photovoltaic a… | 111 |
| 2 | Molecular sieve – photoactive semiconductor membra… | 55 |
| 3 | Photocatalytic system comprising a titanium-based … | 48 |
| 4 | Carbon doped tin disulphide and methods for synthe… | 45 |
| 5 | Composition for being sprayed on foliage of plant … | 44 |
| 6 | Nanostructured photocatalysts and doped wide-bandg… | 42 |
| 7 | Photocatalytic metamaterial based on plasmonic nea… | 38 |
| 8 | Metal-organic frameworks for the adsorption and ca… | 34 |
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 the competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of a growth-stage trajectory, academic leadership, and a narrow dominant technology class creates a specific set of signals for R&D planners. The cards below translate those signals into actionable reads.
Growth stage with rising annual volume
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth, with annual filings still rising and the most recent years understated by publication lag. Multi-year growth stands at 198%, confirming that the field has not yet plateaued. Teams entering now are still ahead of the commoditisation phase, but the rate of new entrants in the momentum data suggests the window for low-competition positioning is narrowing.
Growth stageModerate concentration, academic-led with thin industrial presence
The top five filers hold 24% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, a moderate figure that leaves meaningful room for new entrants. However, the field is almost entirely academic: industrial applicants such as Siemens AG appear only at rank 19, and no single industrial incumbent has established a blocking position. R&D teams from industry have an opportunity to build differentiated portfolios before academic IP matures into licensed platforms.
Moderate concentrationCollaborative activity is modest but spans cross-institutional and cross-border pairs
The most active co-filing pairs are Fuzhou University with Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory, IFP Energies Nouvelles with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), IFP Energies Nouvelles with Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, and Beijing University of Chemical Technology with the Quzhou Institute for Innovation in Resource Chemical Engineering. The University of Michigan co-filed with both Columbia University and the University of California. These pairings reflect the early-stage norm of university-to-university and lab-to-industry collaboration rather than deep supply-chain partnerships.
Cross-institutionalChina leads filings; US and India are secondary jurisdictions
China is the lead office by a substantial margin, followed by the United States and India. PCT and EPO filings indicate that a portion of applicants are pursuing international protection, but the majority of filings remain domestic to China. Teams seeking freedom to operate in Western markets should examine the US and European filing coverage of leading Chinese academic institutions, as their international protection footprint may be smaller than their domestic output suggests.
China-dominantGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fuzhou University | Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory | 2 |
| IFP Energies Nouvelles | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 2 |
| IFP Energies Nouvelles | Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 | 2 |
| Beijing University of Chemical Technology | Quzhou Institute for Innovation in Resource Chemical Engineering | 2 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | 1 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Regents of the University of California | 1 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | STRATEGIC ANALYSIS INC | 1 |
| Beijing University of Technology | Beijing Jingneng Clean Energy Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Top players differentiated by catalysis focus and institutional origin
The two leading filers are both academic institutions, each concentrating on B01J catalysis classes, though with differing secondary emphases. Both entered the ranking as new entrants in the recent measurement window, indicating rapid portfolio build-up.
Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology
The top-ranked filer with 45 patent families, MMMUT has concentrated its portfolio almost exclusively in B01J catalysis classes (photocatalyst structure, supported catalysts, and catalyst composition), with no significant secondary emphasis outside this cluster. Its momentum is classified as a new entrant in the recent filing window, indicating that its 45-family position was built rapidly. The depth in B01J suggests a focus on novel photocatalyst formulation rather than downstream product chemistry or device integration.
families: 45Jiangsu University
Ranked second with 28 patent families, Jiangsu University shows a more diversified technical profile, with primary emphasis split between C01B (carbon and inorganic compound synthesis) and B01J catalysis classes. Its momentum is stable (0% change in the recent versus prior period), suggesting a sustained rather than accelerating filing pace. The C01B emphasis differentiates it from the leader and positions it more strongly in carbon-based photocatalyst materials, including graphene and related nanostructures.
families: 28| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology | 24 | ▲ new entrant |
| Jiangsu University | 12 | ▬ 0% |
| Fuzhou University | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| Changzhou University | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| United Arab Emirates University | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Beijing University of Technology | 5 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant B01J core have comparatively low filing shares relative to their technical relevance. These represent areas where patent density is lower, not validated commercial opportunities, though two carry plausible technical rationale and realistic entry paths.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds
With a share of 4% of the corpus, C25B captures photoelectrochemical and electrocatalytic CO2 reduction approaches that couple photocatalysis with electrochemistry. This branch is technically adjacent because hybrid photo-electrocatalytic systems can overcome selectivity and efficiency limits of purely photocatalytic approaches. The lower filing density relative to B01J suggests that integrated device architectures and electrode-catalyst coupling remain underexplored in the patent record, offering a differentiated entry path for teams with electrochemistry capabilities.
Search this in Eureka →B82Y · Nanotechnology applications
B82Y accounts for 3% of the corpus, indicating that nanostructured photocatalyst design — quantum dots, single-atom catalysts, and nanocomposites — is represented but not heavily claimed at the nanotechnology-application level. Given that nanostructuring is a principal strategy for improving light absorption and charge separation in photocatalysts, this relative sparsity may reflect a classification gap or genuine under-claiming of nano-specific functionality. Teams building on single-atom or quantum-confined photocatalysts may find less prior art pressure in this branch than in the core B01J classes.
Search this in Eureka →How leading filers differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B01J 35 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 23 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | B01J 27 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis | B01J 37 · Chemical/physical processes & catalysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiangsu University | Strong · 18 | Strong · 13 | Strong · 19 | Strong · 15 | Strong · 15 |
| Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology | Strong · 43 | Absent | Emerging · 4 | Moderate · 18 | Moderate · 9 |
| Fuzhou University | Strong · 10 | Strong · 10 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Strong · 6 |
| United Arab Emirates University | Strong · 10 | Strong · 8 | Strong · 6 | Absent | Strong · 10 |
| Changzhou University | Strong · 11 | Absent | Strong · 10 | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 5 |
| Beijing University of Chemical Technology | Strong · 8 | Strong · 7 | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 4 | Moderate · 4 |
| Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | Strong · 13 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 6 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 514 patent families. This is the foundation for all trend, concentration, and technology-composition analysis in the report.
Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology leads with 45 patent families, ahead of Jiangsu University at 28 and Fuzhou University and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, each at 15.
The field is classified as Growth. Annual filings rose from 12 in 2017 to a recorded high of 118 in 2024, representing 198% growth over the review window. The most recent years are understated by publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown.
China is the lead office by a wide margin, followed by the United States and India. PCT and European (EPO) filings indicate some international protection-seeking, but the majority of activity remains concentrated in domestic Chinese filings.
The field is predominantly academic. Industrial entities do appear — Siemens AG is ranked 19th with 6 patent families, and IFP Energies Nouvelles holds 11 — but no industrial incumbent has established a dominant position, leaving the top ranks to universities and public research councils.
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds, covering photoelectrochemical approaches) and B82Y (nanotechnology applications, covering nanostructured photocatalysts) each account for a small share of the corpus relative to the dominant B01J catalysis class. These are observations of relative sparsity; whether they represent actionable opportunities depends on a team’s specific technical and commercial context.
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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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