Solid-State Battery Electrolyte Patent Landscape 2026
Solid-State Battery Electrolyte Patent Landscape in 2026
The solid-state battery electrolyte field is in a clear growth phase, with filings rising sharply on a multi-year basis and all top-ranked applicants entering as new filers. Activity is moderately concentrated — Umicore leads — but the field remains open, with no single player commanding dominant coverage across all technology routes.
Umicore leads a fragmented but fast-growing field
Umicore (Belgium) holds the top position among ranked applicants, followed closely by Microsoft Technology Licensing and QuantumSpace Battery. The top five filers together account for 32% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers — a moderate concentration level that leaves meaningful room for challengers.
The tier gap between the leader (11 patent families) and the fifth-ranked applicant (5 patent families) is relatively narrow, indicating that no single organization has established an insurmountable lead. A diverse mix of materials companies, technology licensors, battery start-ups, and universities populates the top tier.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umicore (Belgium) | 11 | |
| 2 | Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC | 10 | |
| 3 | QuantumSpace Battery Inc. | 8 | |
| 4 | Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 5 | Regents of the University of Michigan | 5 | |
| 6 | California Institute of Technology | 3 | |
| 7 | Union Carbide Corporation | 3 | |
| 8 | Ampcera Inc. | 3 | |
| 9 | EVE Energy Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 10 | Quanran (Yinchuan) Technology Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Solid Power Operating Inc. | 2 | |
| 12 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 2 | |
| 13 | Panasonic Holdings Corporation | 2 | |
| 14 | Awesom Energy BV | 2 | |
| 15 | The Potanin Institute | 2 | |
| 16 | Guangxi University of Technology | 2 | |
| 17 | Chen Ga Lane | 2 | |
| 18 | KUNMING UNIV OF SCI & TECH | 2 | |
| 19 | Chongqing Jinkang Powertrain New Energy Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 20 | Ola Electric Mobility Ltd. | 2 |
The presence of Microsoft Technology Licensing at rank two — alongside specialist battery firms and academic institutions — signals that intellectual property in solid-state electrolyte materials is attracting holders from outside the traditional battery industry, broadening the competitive perimeter for R&D teams.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and are likely under-counted; apparent softness in 2025–2026 data 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.
Sharp multi-year growth anchored in battery-cell chemistry, with materials branches emerging
The annual filing trend and the IPC technology composition together reveal both the pace of entry into this field and the chemical breadth of approaches being patented.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible in 2017, rose through 2018–2022, then accelerated markedly in 2023 and 2024 — consistent with a field in active growth. The drop in 2025 and 2026 reflects publication lag rather than a genuine decline, and these years should be treated as under-counted.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) dominates the IPC mix by a wide margin, confirming that most filings target cell-level electrolyte integration. Secondary branches — C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds), C03C (glass and enamel compositions), C04B (ceramics, cement, and refractories), and C01G (compounds of other metals) — each carry meaningful but substantially smaller shares, pointing to active but less crowded work in inorganic and ceramic electrolyte materials.
↗ 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.
Compound for a solid state battery electrolyte
Disclosed herein is the compound Na<sub>x</sub>Li<sub>3-x</sub>YCl<sub>6 </sub>(0<x<3), which is usable as an effective solid-state battery electrolyte. The disclosed compound can have a trigonal ordered crystal structure. The disclosed compound can exhibit characteristics beneficial for solid-state battery electrolyte applications. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solid-state secondary power supply | 51 |
| 2 | Solid-state secondary power supply | 43 |
| 3 | Solid-state secondary power supply | 19 |
| 4 | 3D printing of metal containing structures | 17 |
| 5 | Solid state battery electrolyte | 15 |
| 6 | Solid-State Battery Electrolyte Having Increased S… | 14 |
| 7 | Interally heatable battery, internally heatable ba… | 13 |
| 8 | 一种储能充电系统电池用高电导率的固态电池电解质的制备方法 | 7 |
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
Four structural dimensions — maturity, concentration, collaboration, and geography — each carry distinct implications for teams deciding where to place bets in solid-state electrolyte development.
Growth stage: filings rising, no dominant incumbent
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth, with annual filings still rising on a multi-year basis and a 190% increase in recent activity. Every top-ranked applicant appears as a new entrant, confirming the field has not yet reached the consolidation phase where established players crowd out newcomers. Early movers still have the opportunity to stake out durable IP positions.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a narrow leader-to-fifth gap
The top five filers hold 32% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, and the gap between rank one (11 patent families) and rank five (5 patent families) is narrow. This structure implies that a focused filing programme of even modest scale could shift relative standing meaningfully. No player yet holds blocking coverage across multiple electrolyte chemistries simultaneously.
Moderate concentrationNo co-applicant activity detected in current evidence
The collaboration evidence contains no co-filed patent families in the current dataset. This absence may reflect the early-growth character of the field — organizations are more likely to file independently to protect differentiated IP before partnership structures mature. R&D teams should monitor for emerging joint-development agreements as the field progresses toward commercialization.
Evidence pendingChina leads filing volume; US and PCT routes are secondary hubs
China accounts for the largest share of patent records at the jurisdiction level, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. Europe (EPO) and Japan are present but at lower counts. This distribution suggests that Chinese market protection is a priority for most filers, while PCT filings indicate international commercialization intent. Teams seeking broad freedom-to-operate should audit their coverage across all three primary jurisdictions.
China-led, global intentGo 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.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Umicore and QuantumSpace Battery lead distinct technology routes
The top applicants differ meaningfully in their IPC emphasis: Umicore spans inorganic materials chemistry alongside cell-level filings, while QuantumSpace Battery concentrates exclusively within the H01M battery-cell domain.
Umicore
Umicore holds 11 patent families, the most among all ranked applicants, and entered the corpus as a new entrant — indicating a recent, deliberate IP push rather than a legacy portfolio. Its filings span H01M battery-cell chemistry, C01B non-metallic inorganic compounds, and C03C glass and enamel compositions, giving it one of the broadest material-chemistry footprints in the field. This cross-domain positioning is consistent with Umicore’s established role as a cathode and materials supplier.
families: 11QuantumSpace Battery
QuantumSpace Battery ranks third overall with 8 patent families, also as a new entrant. Its filings are concentrated entirely within H01M subclasses (batteries, cells, and fuel cells), with no significant secondary IPC branches, suggesting a cell-integration focus rather than a materials-synthesis approach. At 8 families and an entirely recent entry profile, the company is building a targeted IP position in electrolyte cell design rather than upstream chemistry.
families: 8| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Umicore (Belgium) | 11 | ▲ new entrant |
| Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| QuantumSpace Battery Inc. | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Quanran (Yinchuan) Technology Co., Ltd. | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Harbin Institute of Technology | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in inorganic chemistry and ceramics
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H01M class show low filing counts relative to their technical relevance for solid-state electrolyte design. These are observations of relative sparsity — not validated commercial opportunities — but merit attention where technical value and an entry path are plausible.
C04B · Ceramics, cement & refractories
With only 8 patent records across the entire corpus, the ceramics branch remains sparse despite the central role of oxide and sulfide ceramic electrolytes (e.g., LLZO, NASICON-type materials) in solid-state battery development. The University of Michigan’s focus on C04B ceramics demonstrates that an entry path exists through academic-industry collaboration or in-house materials synthesis programmes. Teams with ceramic processing expertise face less crowding here than in the core H01M space.
Search this in Eureka →C03C · Glass & enamel compositions
Glass-ceramic electrolytes (e.g., lithium phosphorus oxynitride, LIPON-type, and amorphous sulfide glasses) appear in only 8 patent records, yet Umicore’s own portfolio already spans this branch alongside its battery-cell filings. The sparsity relative to the technical maturity of glass electrolyte processing suggests that competitors have largely left this route uncontested. Organizations with thin-film deposition or glass-forming chemistry capabilities may find the IP landscape relatively open.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders diverge across inorganic chemistry and cell-integration routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 17 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | C03C 3 · Glass & enamel compositions | C03C 4 · Glass & enamel compositions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Umicore (Belgium) | Strong · 11 | Absent | Strong · 8 | Strong · 8 | Strong · 8 |
| QuantumSpace Battery Inc. | Strong · 8 | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Strong · 6 | Moderate · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| The Potanin Institute | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Chen Ga Lane | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current corpus contains 111 patent families in scope. This represents a rapidly growing body of work, with the multi-year growth rate standing at 190% in recent windows.
Umicore (Belgium) ranks first with 11 patent families, followed by Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC with 10 and QuantumSpace Battery Inc with 8. All top applicants are classified as new entrants, reflecting the field’s recent growth phase.
China leads at the patent-record level, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. Europe (EPO) and Japan are also represented but at lower volumes. China’s lead suggests it is the primary target for market protection among most filers.
The evidence classifies the field as Growth stage. Annual filings have risen sharply on a multi-year basis, and all major applicants are new entrants rather than established incumbents, indicating the field has not yet reached consolidation.
Yes. C04B (ceramics, cement, and refractories) and C03C (glass and enamel compositions) each appear in only 8 patent records despite their technical relevance to oxide, sulfide, and glass-ceramic electrolytes. C01D (alkali-metal compounds) and C01G (compounds of other metals) are similarly sparse.
No co-filed patent families are detected in the current evidence. The absence of collaboration filings is consistent with the early-growth character of the field, where organizations tend to file independently to protect differentiated IP before formal partnerships form.
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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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