Sodium-Ion Battery Electrolyte Patent Landscape 2026
Sodium-Ion Battery Electrolyte Patent Landscape in 2026
The sodium-ion battery electrolyte field is in active growth, with filings expanding sharply on a multi-year basis and activity overwhelmingly concentrated in China. The competitive structure is fragmented at the top, with no single applicant commanding a dominant share, creating both openings and uncertainty for new entrants.
Fragmented leadership with China as the clear filing hub
Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech leads the top positions are held by a mix of dedicated sodium-ion startups, established battery manufacturers, and academic institutions.
The top five filers account for 15% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating a notably fragmented competitive structure with no entrenched dominant player. The gap between the leader and the second tier is narrow, suggesting the ranking is contestable.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech Co. Ltd. | 12 | |
| 2 | So-Fun Tech Corp Ltd. | 9 | |
| 3 | Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | 9 | |
| 4 | South China Normal University | 8 | |
| 5 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 8 | |
| 6 | Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co. Ltd. | 8 | |
| 7 | BYD Co. Ltd. | 6 | |
| 8 | Wenzhou University Carbon Neutrality Technology Innovation Research Institute | 6 | |
| 9 | Central South University | 6 | |
| 10 | Tianneng Battery Group Co. Ltd. | 6 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Zhuhai Smoothway Electronics Materials Co. Ltd. | 6 | |
| 12 | Hefei Guoxuan High-Tech Power Energy Co. Ltd. | 6 | |
| 13 | Envision Ruitai Dynamics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. | 5 | |
| 14 | HUNAN LIFANG NEW ENERGY SCI & TECH | 5 | |
| 15 | Envision Dynamics Technology (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd. | 5 | |
| 16 | Longzihu New Energy Laboratory | 5 | |
| 17 | Shanshan Advanced Materials (Quzhou) Co. Ltd. | 5 | |
| 18 | Zhengzhou Zhongke Emerging Industry Technology Research Institute | 5 | |
| 19 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) | 5 | |
| 20 | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | 4 |
This fragmentation implies that no single organization has yet established a lock on electrolyte formulation IP, which leaves meaningful room for differentiated technical approaches — particularly from challengers with focused chemistry expertise.
Filing counts for the most recent 18–24 months are understated due to standard patent publication lag; the apparent plateau in 2025–2026 data should not be interpreted as a slowdown. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Rapid multi-year growth dominated by core battery IP classes
The filing trend reveals a field that has accelerated sharply since 2021, while the technology composition shows that battery-cell IP (H01M) is the dominant classification, with adjacent chemistry classes representing a small but strategically significant minority.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2019, then surged from 21 families in 2021 to 55 in 2022, 110 in 2023, and 120 in 2024 — representing 956% growth over the recent window. The 2025 and 2026 figures are materially understated by publication lag and should not be read as a decline.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) dominates the IPC mix overwhelmingly, confirming that most applicants are filing at the system and cell level. Adjacent chemistry branches — C01B (non-metallic inorganic compounds), C07C (acyclic/carbocyclic compounds), C07F (organo-metallic compounds), and C07D (heterocyclic compounds) — each account for a small share, marking them as under-served relative to their technical relevance to electrolyte design.
↗ 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.
Sodium-ion battery electrolyte and sodium-ion batt…
A sodium-ion battery electrolyte is disclosed, including a sodium salt, a non-aqueous organic solvent and an additive. The additive includes fluoroethylene carbonate, 1,3-propane sultone and 1,3-propene sultone, the sodium salt includes a primary sodium salt and sodium difluorophosphate. The sodium-ion battery electrolyte satisfies the following conditions… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种钠离子电池负极片及钠离子电池 | 39 |
| 2 | 一种钠离子电池电解液、钠离子电池及制备方法 | 37 |
| 3 | 一种钠离子电池电解液、其添加剂、制备方法及应用 | 24 |
| 4 | 一种钠离子电池 | 22 |
| 5 | 一种双氟磺酰亚胺钠的制备方法及其应用 | 20 |
| 6 | 一种钠离子电池电解液及钠离子电池 | 18 |
| 7 | 一种适配于硬碳负极的钠离子电池电解液及其制备和使用方法 | 18 |
| 8 | 一种用于高电压层状氧化物正极的钠离子电池电解液 | 16 |
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 structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of rapid growth, fragmented leadership, and chemistry-class white space shapes where R&D investment is likely to yield differentiated IP positions. Four structural factors are most relevant.
Growth stage: filings still rising on a multi-year basis
The lifecycle evidence places this field firmly in the Growth stage, with annual filings still rising and the most recent years understated by publication lag. The 956% expansion over the recent filing window confirms this is not a mature, crowded field — foundational IP positions are still being established, meaning early movers retain an advantage in staking out claims on novel electrolyte chemistries.
Growth stageFragmented top tier — no entrenched incumbent
The top five filers hold only 15% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, an unusually low concentration figure for an emerging energy chemistry field. No single applicant has a portfolio large enough to create broad freedom-to-operate constraints across the full electrolyte design space. This makes it feasible for a technically focused entrant to build a defensible niche without immediately confronting dominant incumbent IP.
Low concentrationCo-filing clusters are intra-group and university–industry pairs
The most active co-filing relationships identified are between Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech and Wuhan JanaEnergy Tech (2 joint families), South China Normal University with Chizhou Jushi Chemical and Guangdong Jushi Chemical (2 joint families each), and within the Smoothway Electronics Materials group across its Zhuhai, Huainan, and Hefei entities. These patterns reflect intra-corporate coordination and university–industry technology transfer rather than broad cross-sector alliances, suggesting the ecosystem is still forming.
Intra-group clustersFiling activity is overwhelmingly China-centric
China accounts for 364 patent records, with Europe (EPO), the United States, and WIPO (PCT) each in the single digits to low double digits. India and Taiwan show minimal activity. This geographic skew means that IP protection outside China is currently sparse, representing both a risk for non-Chinese players seeking freedom to operate domestically and an opportunity for those willing to file internationally in jurisdictions that are currently undercrowded.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech Co. Ltd. | Wuhan JanaEnergy Tech Co. Ltd. | 2 |
| South China Normal University | Chizhou Jushi Chemical Co. Ltd. | 2 |
| South China Normal University | Guangdong Jushi Chemical Co. Ltd. | 2 |
| Zhuhai Smoothway Electronics Materials Co. Ltd. | Huainan Smoothway Electronic Material Co. Ltd. | 2 |
| Zhuhai Smoothway Electronics Materials Co. Ltd. | Hefei Smoothway Electronic Materials Co. Ltd. | 2 |
| Hunan Nafang New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. | Hunan Lifang New Energy Science & Technology Co. Ltd. | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
JanaEnergy leads; CATL and Capchem add scale from established battery platforms
The top applicants span dedicated sodium-ion startups, large-scale battery manufacturers, specialty electrolyte chemical suppliers, and academic research groups — an unusually diverse mix that reflects the field’s early-stage character.
Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech
JanaEnergy leads the ranking with 12 patent families, concentrated almost entirely in H01M 10 (battery and cell systems) with a minor position in C07F 5 (organo-metallic compounds). Its momentum is classified as a new entrant with 11 recent families, indicating that virtually its entire portfolio has been built within the current high-growth window. Its affiliated entity Wuhan JanaEnergy Tech is a co-filing partner, suggesting coordinated IP development across the group.
families: 12CATL (Hong Kong + CATL Co. Ltd.)
The CATL group appears twice in the ranking — Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited with 9 patent families and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. with 5 — reflecting a combined presence that makes CATL a significant challenger when consolidated. The Hong Kong entity’s portfolio spans H01M 10 and H01M 4, while the momentum for the core CATL entity is classified as a new entrant with 8 recent families, consistent with CATL accelerating its sodium-ion electrolyte IP strategy in step with its announced sodium-ion cell programs.
families: 9 + 5| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech Co. Ltd. | 11 | ▲ new entrant |
| Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co. Ltd. | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| South China Normal University | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong) Limited | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Zhuhai Smoothway Electronics Materials Co. Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hunan Nafang New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served chemistry branches adjacent to the dominant H01M core
While H01M dominates the filing landscape, several chemistry IPC classes appear sparsely relative to their technical relevance to electrolyte design. These represent adjacent branches that are currently under-served; their value as entry points depends on technical fit and filing strategy.
C07C · Acyclic & carbocyclic organic electrolyte solvents
C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds) has only 11 patent records in this corpus, representing roughly 2% of the IPC-level activity. Solvents and co-solvents — including carbonate and ether classes central to sodium-ion electrolyte formulation — fall squarely within this branch. The sparse coverage suggests that applicants are filing primarily at the cell-level H01M class rather than protecting the underlying solvent molecules, leaving compound-level claims potentially available. A chemistry-focused entrant with novel solvent structures could build a differentiated IP position here without immediately conflicting with the dominant H01M portfolio.
Search this in Eureka →C07D · Heterocyclic electrolyte additives
C07D (heterocyclic compounds) has only 6 patent records in this corpus, a share of approximately 1%. Heterocyclic compounds are increasingly investigated as functional additives in sodium-ion electrolytes — for SEI formation control, flame retardancy, and overcharge protection. The very low filing density in this branch relative to its technical relevance suggests it is under-explored as an IP target. Entry requires synthetic chemistry capability and understanding of additive–electrode interactions, but the sparse prior art could facilitate broader claim scope for first movers.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 25 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | C01B 21 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech Co. Ltd. | Strong · 12 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Shenzhen Capchem Technology Co. Ltd. | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| South China Normal University | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Hefei Guoxuan High-Tech Power Energy Co. Ltd. | Strong · 6 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent | Absent |
| BYD Co. Ltd. | Strong · 6 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent | Absent |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) | Absent | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 400 patent families. This is the corpus on which all trend, applicant, and technology composition data in this report are based.
Shenzhen JanaEnergy Tech Co. Ltd. leads the ranking with 12 patent families, ahead of So-Fun Tech Corp and Contemporary Amperex Technology (Hong Kong), which each hold 9 patent families.
The top five filers account for 15% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, which is a low concentration level. No single applicant has established a dominant IP position, and the ranking is contestable by technically focused challengers.
China accounts for 364 patent records, making it the overwhelmingly dominant jurisdiction. Europe (EPO) has 12, the United States has 10, and WIPO (PCT) has 9. India and Taiwan show minimal activity, indicating that international protection outside China is currently sparse.
The field is assessed as being in the Growth stage. Annual filings expanded from 21 families in 2021 to 120 in 2024, representing 956% growth over the recent window. The most recent filing years are understated by publication lag, so apparent softness in 2025–2026 data does not indicate a real slowdown.
C07C (acyclic and carbocyclic compounds, 11 records), C07F (organo-metallic compounds, 9 records), C07D (heterocyclic compounds, 6 records), and C01D (alkali-metal compounds, 5 records) are each sparsely covered relative to H01M. These branches cover solvent molecules, functional additives, and sodium salt precursors that are central to electrolyte design but are largely unprotected at the compound level in this corpus.
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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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