Pseudocapacitor Electrode Material Patent Landscape 2026
The pseudocapacitor electrode material field is a relatively fragmented, maturing niche: 58 patent families are distributed across academic institutions, specialty chemical firms, and industrial players, with no single applicant controlling more than a small share. Activity peaked in 2018 and has plateaued since, with a positive multi-year growth window driven by sustained university-led research rather than concentrated industry push.
Fragmented field with academic institutions and industrial players sharing the lead
LG Chem and the University College of Southeast Norway co-lead the applicant ranking, each with 6 patent records, followed by Intel and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 5 patent records each. The top tier is unusually mixed, with corporate and academic filers holding equivalent positions.
The top five filers collectively account for 25% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total — a moderate concentration level indicating that no single organization dominates the technical agenda. The gap between the top tier and the mid-tier (4–3 patent records) is narrow, reinforcing the fragmented character of this space.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LG Chem Ltd | 6 | |
| 2 | University College of Southeast Norway | 6 | |
| 3 | Intel Corporation | 5 | |
| 4 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 5 | |
| 5 | ADA Technologies Inc | 4 | |
| 6 | Nanyang Technological University | 3 | |
| 7 | Southwest University | 3 | |
| 8 | Rhodia Operations SAS | 3 | |
| 9 | South China University of Technology | 3 | |
| 10 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 3 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | University of Nantes | 3 | |
| 12 | KOREA ADVANCED INST OF SCI & TECH | 3 | |
| 13 | The Regents of the University of Colorado | 3 | |
| 14 | Cellmo Materials Innovation Inc | 3 | |
| 15 | Greatbatch Ltd | 3 | |
| 16 | Dharmendra | 2 | |
| 17 | Nesscap Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 18 | Sutar Kumar Alekha | 2 | |
| 19 | IBM Corporation | 2 | |
| 20 | Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | 2 |
LG Chem’s presence signals commercial interest in electrode materials for energy storage applications, while the strong academic representation from Southeast Norway, Rensselaer, and multiple universities suggests that fundamental materials science is still the primary driver of new filings.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and will appear more sparse than they ultimately prove to be; recent-year counts should not be read as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2018 filing spike dominates the trend; H01G capacitor classification anchors the technology mix
The annual filing chart reveals a sharp 2018 spike followed by a multi-year plateau, while the technology composition chart shows overwhelming concentration in capacitor-class IPC codes with thin coverage of adjacent processing and nanomaterial branches.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings peaked sharply in 2018 and have since settled into a lower but steady range through 2025. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis — the recent-window growth is positive — though annual volume has eased from its 2018 peak. Counts for 2024–2026 are likely understated due to publication lag and should not be read as a further decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01G (Capacitors) dominates the IPC distribution, confirming that filings are tightly scoped to electrochemical capacitor device architecture. H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells) appears as a secondary branch, reflecting hybrid energy-storage concepts. Nanotechnology (B82Y), coating processes (C23C), and nanostructures (B82B) each carry very limited coverage, pointing to under-served adjacent branches.
↗ 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.
Metal oxide electrochemical pseudocapacitor having…
Disclosed are a conducting polymer coated electrode of a metal oxide electrochemical pseudocapacitor having an improved performance and a method of manufacturing the same. The electrode includes a current collector and an active material coated on the current collector. The active material includes metal oxide and is coated with a conducting polymer on a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method for preparation of a thermal spray coated s… | 51 |
| 2 | Metal oxide electrochemical pseudocapacitor having… | 45 |
| 3 | Supercapacitor Devices Having Composite Electrodes… | 34 |
| 4 | 一种CoNiO2/MXene复合材料及其制备方法和应用 | 26 |
| 5 | High energy density hybrid pseudocapacitors and me… | 23 |
| 6 | Pseudocapacitive electrodes and methods of forming | 20 |
| 7 | 一种氮掺杂碳纳米纤维负载钴酸镍复合电极材料的制备方法 | 18 |
| 8 | A composite material and method of preparation the… | 18 |
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 electrode material R&D investment
The combination of moderate concentration, an academic-heavy applicant base, and a maturing filing curve shapes the risk and entry calculus for new participants. Four structural observations follow.
Field has plateaued near its peak — foundational IP window mostly closed
The lifecycle stage is Maturity: annual filings have plateaued near their 2018 peak. A new entrant cannot easily plant broad foundational claims but can still pursue incremental improvements in specific material compositions, hybrid architectures, or processing routes. The positive multi-year growth window indicates sustained, if quieter, technical activity.
Lifecycle: MatureNo dominant fortress — top five hold only 25% of the leading hundred filers’ total
With the top five filers accounting for 25% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and the leading applicant holding just 6 patent records, there is no single company whose IP position is strong enough to block a well-targeted entrant. The field rewards depth in a specific material class or processing method over broad portfolio building.
Low-moderate concentrationThree active co-filing clusters, led by a US university pair and a French consortium
The most active co-applicant pair is the University of Colorado Board of Regents and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which share 5 joint patent records. Rhodia Operations, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the University of Nantes form a three-way European consortium with 3 joint records on each bilateral link. These clusters suggest that collaborative academic-industrial routes are an established entry path for new electrode material IP.
Collaborative clustersChina leads on filing volume; the United States is the primary commercial validation market
China accounts for the highest number of patent records among all jurisdictions, followed by the United States and India. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) filings indicate selective international protection by a subset of applicants. India’s third-place position reflects active university filing from institutions such as IIT Kanpur. A robust US presence alongside China suggests the two markets are the critical battlegrounds for commercialization.
CN · US · IN leadGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Regents of the University of Colorado | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 5 |
| Rhodia Operations SAS | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 3 |
| Rhodia Operations SAS | University of Nantes | 3 |
| French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | University of Nantes | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
LG Chem and Southeast Norway University co-lead; Colorado–Rensselaer alliance drives academic depth
The leading positions are held by one industrial chemist and one specialist university, both focused squarely on H01G capacitor claims. The mid-tier is populated by a mix of US research universities, a defense-oriented materials company, and specialty chemical firms.
LG Chem
LG Chem holds 6 patent records — the joint-highest count in the corpus — concentrated entirely in H01G 11 (electrochemical capacitors), with one additional record in B82Y nanotechnology applications. As a large-scale battery and chemical manufacturer, LG Chem’s position signals commercial-stage interest in pseudocapacitive electrode formulations. No momentum data is available in evidence for LG Chem specifically.
6 patent recordsUniversity College of Southeast Norway
The University College of Southeast Norway also holds 6 patent records, all in H01G 11, matching LG Chem in total count. Its portfolio is narrowly specialized in capacitor electrode claims without the nanotechnology crossover seen in LG Chem’s filings. As an academic institution, its IP is likely available for licensing or collaborative development, making it a potential partner for industrial entrants seeking foundational electrode claims.
6 patent records| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest University | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Coating processes and nanostructure engineering are under-served relative to their technical relevance
Beyond the dominant H01G capacitor branch, several IPC classes carry very low coverage despite clear relevance to electrode material performance. These are observations of relative sparsity; they may represent addressable gaps for applicants with the right technical capabilities.
C23C · Coating and surface deposition
Only 3 patent records sit in C23C, representing 2% of the IPC distribution, even though surface deposition techniques — atomic layer deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition — are central to achieving the thin-film pseudocapacitive layers described in highly cited work on thermal spray coatings and metal oxide electrodes. An applicant with deposition process expertise could file claims here that are orthogonal to existing H01G device claims and potentially broad in scope given the low prior-art density.
Search this in Eureka →B82B · Nanostructures
B82B carries only 2 patent records — the lowest share among the white-space branches with identified technical value. Nanostructured electrode architectures (nanowires, nanosheets, porous frameworks) are a well-documented route to enhancing pseudocapacitive charge storage by maximizing active surface area, as evidenced by cited work on MXene composites and nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers. The sparsity here suggests that inventors have filed structural claims under H01G rather than under the nanostructure classification, leaving room for process- and morphology-focused claims in B82B.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01G 11 · Capacitors | H01G 9 · Capacitors | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | B82Y 30 · Nanotechnology applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG Chem Ltd | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 1 |
| University College of Southeast Norway | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| University of Nantes | Strong · 3 | Absent | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| The Regents of the University of Colorado | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| IBM Corporation | Strong · 3 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analyzed corpus contains 58 patent families in scope globally. This is a relatively small, specialized field compared to broader electrochemical energy storage categories.
LG Chem and the University College of Southeast Norway are joint leaders, each holding 6 patent records. Intel and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute follow at 5 patent records each.
The field is assessed as Mature: annual filings have plateaued near their 2018 peak. The multi-year growth window remains positive at 25%, but annual volume has eased from that peak, indicating the technology is past its rapid-growth phase.
China leads in patent record volume, followed by the United States and India. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) filings indicate selective international protection by a subset of applicants, particularly those with commercial-stage products.
Yes. The strongest co-applicant relationship is between the University of Colorado Board of Regents and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with 5 joint patent records. Rhodia Operations, CNRS, and the University of Nantes form a three-way European consortium with 3 joint records on each bilateral link.
C23C (coating and surface deposition) and B82B (nanostructures) carry the lowest patent record counts among technically adjacent IPC branches — 3 and 2 records respectively. Both are directly relevant to electrode performance but have low prior-art density, suggesting potential room for new claims focused on deposition processes and nanostructured morphologies.
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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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