Polyurethane Synthesis Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- Filings have cooled since 2018. the 328-family peak has slid to 25 in the most recent (partial) year, with the 2022 midpoint of 204 already below the historic high — this is a maturing, not an emerging, claim space.
- Condensation chemistry dominates the IPC mix. C08G accounts for 3,481 of the 6,170 records, more than three times the next-largest subclass, meaning most competitive pressure sits on core isocyanate-polyol reaction claims rather than downstream formulation.
- Momentum has largely stalled among named leaders. several previously active assignees show zero filings in the latest year, while BASF's 7 filings and +75% YoY stand out as the one clear exception to an otherwise flat field.
Filing growth compares 2021 (200 records) with 2024 (114) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 6,170 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this patent set covers
This landscape draws on 6,170 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine polyurethane, PU foam or polyurethane elastomer claim language with process terms tied to isocyanate-polyol reaction or polyaddition polymerization. The scope spans the reaction chemistry itself through to the coatings, adhesives, sterilisation and laminate applications built on it, giving a view of where synthesis-stage claims concentrate versus where they thin out into formulation and end-use work.
Filing activity peaked in 2018 and has declined toward the present, with the most recent year necessarily undercounted because publication typically lags filing by about eighteen months. Read the tail of the trend as a floor, not a forecast.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 6,170-family set: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those families split across IPC subclasses.
A field past its filing peak
Volume ran from 246 families in 2017 to a peak of 328 in 2018, then eased to 204 by the 2022 midpoint and down to 25 in the latest partial year. That trajectory reads as flat-to-declining rather than an active buildout, though the final year or two will revise upward as publications catch up.
Condensation chemistry carries the weight
C08G (condensation polymers) accounts for 3,481 records, well ahead of C09D coatings (1,125), C08L compositions (1,029) and C08J processing (953). A61L sterilising applications (642), C08K additives (557), C09J adhesives (454) and B32B laminates (440) round out a mix where the reaction chemistry itself, not any single downstream use, is the largest single claim pool.
Shares are the percentage of the 6,170 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Polyurethane Polymer Synthesis with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about polyurethane polymer synthesis and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative and most-cited records
Process of preparing polyurethane elastomer foam (US20240327591A1, BASF SE, 2024-10-03)
Disclosed herein are a process of preparing a polyurethane elastomer foam, a polyurethane elastomer foam prepared by the process, and a method of using the polyurethane elastomer foam.The claim scope centres on the foam-forming process rather than a single fixed formulation, which is the detail that matters for freedom-to-operate review.
View full record| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6082025A | Flexible membranes | 1,654 |
| 2 | US6127026A | Flexible membranes | 1,571 |
| 3 | US5156938A | Ablation-transfer imaging/recording | 1,153 |
| 4 | US7535624B2 | Electro-optic display and materials for use therein | 1,033 |
| 5 | US4079028A | Polyurethane thickeners in latex compositions | 622 |
| 6 | US5100992A | Polyurethane-based polymeric materials and biomedical articles and pharmaceutical compositions utilizing the … | 607 |
| 7 | US6831769B2 | Electro-optic display and lamination adhesive | 592 |
| 8 | EP0112592A2 | Zwitterionic polymers having clay soil removal/anti-redeposition properties useful in detergent compositions | 537 |
| 9 | US4155892A | Polyurethane thickeners for aqueous compositions | 514 |
| 10 | US4201824A | Hydrophilic polyurethanes and their application as soil-release, anti-soil redeposition, and anti-static agen… | 492 |
Citation counts favour older filings that have had more time to accumulate references within the searched corpus; treat them as a mark of historical influence rather than current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three read-outs from the family counts, jurisdictions and citation data that should inform where new work gets filed.
The core chemistry is well past its filing peak
A decline from 328 families in the 2018 peak to 204 at the 2022 midpoint, and down further since, points to a claim space where the foundational isocyanate-polyol reaction routes are largely staked out. New entrants are more likely to find open ground in application-specific formulation than in the base polyaddition chemistry.
US and Europe carry the bulk of filing activity
The United States (1,619) and the EPO (1,068) lead receiving offices, with WIPO PCT filings (609) and Japan (440) trailing. Canada (363) and Australia (313) show meaningful but secondary activity, suggesting freedom-to-operate work should prioritise US and EPO prior art before broadening to PCT-designated states.
Coatings and adhesives are a smaller, separate claim pool
C09D coatings (1,125), C09J adhesives (454) and B32B laminates (440) are each a fraction of the C08G total, meaning formulation and application claims sit on comparatively lighter prior art than the underlying reaction chemistry — useful context for scoping a new filing's independent claims.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to polyurethane polymer synthesis, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Henkel AG & Co. KGaA | Henkel IP & Holding GmbH | 18 |
| Henkel AG & Co. KGaA | Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science | 16 |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | ROBERTS C CHAD | 10 |
| BASF SE | UNITED PANEL SYST M | 8 |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | LI XIAOQING | 8 |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | MCINTIRE PATRICK F | 7 |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | BERGE CHARLES T | 7 |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | MCLAIN STEPHAN J | 6 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, the strongest being repeat pairings within the Henkel group and a DuPont-individual pairing — collaboration is the exception, not the norm, in this field.
Assignee activity and momentum
Named assignees show largely flat or declining recent-year activity, with one clear exception.
BASF is the one assignee still accelerating
Against a field where most tracked assignees show zero filings in the latest year, BASF's 7 filings and +75% year-over-year growth stand out as the clearest sign of continued active investment in synthesis-stage claims.
Several long-standing filers have gone quiet
Assignees including DuPont, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, DSM IP Assets and Henkel show no recorded filings in the latest year, consistent with the broader flat-to-declining trend rather than an individual pullback.
Cross-filing is rare and concentrated
The strongest co-assignee pairings sit inside the Henkel group and its research affiliates, plus one DuPont pairing with an individual inventor-assignee. Most families in this set are single-assignee, so joint filings are not a reliable signal to track here.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| BASF SE | 7 | +75% |
| Becton, Dickinson and Company | 0 | -100% |
| E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company | 0 | — |
| Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc. | 0 | — |
| DSM IP Assets B.V. | 0 | — |
| Henkel AG & Co. KGaA | 0 | — |
| Polynovo Biomaterials Pty Limited | 0 | — |
| 3M Innovative Properties Company | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a mature core chemistry with pockets of open claim space around it. The next steps depend on whether the goal is defensive clearance or new filing strategy.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the C08G core
With 3,481 records concentrated in condensation polymer claims, any new synthesis route should be checked against this subclass first, not the smaller application-specific pools.
Explore FTO workflows in EurekaTrack BASF's active filing line
BASF is the only assignee showing positive recent-year momentum; its filing pattern is the most useful current signal for where commercial-scale process work is still moving.
Monitor assignee activity in EurekaScope claims toward under-claimed branches
Non-isocyanate routes and bio-based feedstocks sit outside the dense C08G core and may offer more defensible independent claims than incremental foam or coating formulation work.
Map white space in EurekaCommon questions about polyurethane synthesis patents
Filing activity in this dataset is spread across a set of established chemicals companies rather than dominated by one clear leader in the most recent period. BASF is the standout on recent momentum, with 7 filings and +75% year-over-year growth in the latest tracked year, while other long-standing filers such as DuPont, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, DSM and Henkel show no filings in that same window. Historical volume leadership and current momentum are two different questions, and this dataset answers the second more clearly than the first.
No, not on the filing trend shown here. Volume peaked at 328 families in 2018, eased to 204 by 2022, and has fallen further since, down to 25 in the most recent partial year. Some of that recent decline will correct upward as publications catch up with filings, since publication typically lags filing by around eighteen months, but the multi-year trajectory before that lag effect is still a decline, not growth.
C08G covers condensation polymers and is where the core isocyanate-polyol reaction chemistry sits; it accounts for the largest share of this dataset at 3,481 records. C09D covers coatings, paints and inks built using polyurethane chemistry, a smaller pool at 1,125 records that sits downstream of the base reaction. A filing targeting the underlying synthesis route will run into denser prior art than one targeting a specific coating formulation.
Relative to the 3,481-record density in core condensation chemistry, branches like non-isocyanate polyurethane routes, bio-based polyol feedstocks and recyclable or depolymerisable PU networks show comparatively thin coverage in this dataset. That does not mean these areas are unclaimed, but the claim density is lower than in the core reaction chemistry or in the larger coatings and adhesives subclasses. A first claim in these areas would need to specify the feedstock or reaction mechanism precisely to distinguish from adjacent prior art.
The United States leads with 1,619 filings in this dataset, followed by Europe via the EPO at 1,068 and WIPO PCT filings at 609. Japan (440), Canada (363) and Australia (313) follow at lower volumes. For freedom-to-operate or clearance work, prioritising US and European prior art will cover the bulk of relevant filings before extending review to PCT-designated states.
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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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.