Solid-State Battery Materials Patent Landscape 2026
The solid-state battery materials field is in active growth, with Toyota Motor Corporation and LG Energy Solution running neck-and-neck at the top of a moderately concentrated field where the five largest filers account for roughly a third of the hundred largest filers’ combined output. Filing volume has expanded on a multi-year basis, with the United States the primary protection jurisdiction, and a broad mix of automotive, electronics, and chemical companies competing alongside university entrants.
Toyota and LG Energy Solution co-lead a moderately concentrated field
Toyota Motor Corporation and LG Energy Solution sit within three patent families of each other at the top of the ranking, with 203 and 200 patent families respectively, making this one of the few technology areas where a clear single leader cannot be identified from volume alone.
The top five filers — Toyota, LG Energy Solution, Murata Manufacturing, Samsung SDI, and Honda Motor — together account for approximately 36% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate concentration with a meaningful long tail of challengers and academic entrants.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota Motor Corporation | 203 | |
| 2 | LG Energy Solution | 200 | |
| 3 | Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd | 95 | |
| 4 | Samsung SDI Co Ltd | 62 | |
| 5 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | 47 | |
| 6 | Resonac Corporation | 45 | |
| 7 | Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd | 42 | |
| 8 | The Regents of the University of California | 42 | |
| 9 | Solid Power Operating Inc | 36 | |
| 10 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) | 35 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 33 | |
| 12 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd | 32 | |
| 13 | TDK Corporation | 29 | |
| 14 | Dai Nippon Printing Co Ltd | 28 | |
| 15 | Shanghai Firm Lithium New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 26 | |
| 16 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | 24 | |
| 17 | Factorial Inc | 23 | |
| 18 | Tohoku Techno Arch Co Ltd | 21 | |
| 19 | Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co Inc | 21 | |
| 20 | Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd | 18 |
The closeness of the top two positions, combined with Honda Motor’s recent surge and the entry of CATL and Samsung Electro-Mechanics as new momentum players, signals that the top tier is contestable and that automotive-linked strategies are intensifying.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual filing activity; conclusions about very recent entrants should be treated as directional. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sustained growth with battery-cell IP dominating the technology mix
Filing volume has risen substantially since 2017 and the field remains in its growth stage; the technology composition is heavily concentrated in battery-cell and electrolyte subclasses, with adjacent inorganic-chemistry and conductor branches receiving far less attention.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings grew from 37 in 2017 to a window high in the most recently complete years, with a multi-year compound growth rate of 9%. The apparent drop in 2026 reflects publication lag and should not be read as a real decline; the 2025 figure is also likely undercounted for the same reason.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
The H01M class — covering batteries, cells, and fuel cells — dominates the technology mix by a wide margin. The next largest branches, C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds) and H01B (cables, conductors, and insulators), each represent roughly 5% of the patent-record count, pointing to the concentrated nature of IP activity around cell-level innovation rather than upstream materials chemistry.
↗ 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.
Composite cathode active material for all-solid-st…
A composite cathode active material, a preparation method thereof, a cathode layer for an all-solid-state battery, and an all-solid-state battery including the cathode layer, the composite cathode active material for the all-solid-state battery including a secondary particle including a plurality of primary particles; and a buffer layer on a surface of the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solid polymer electrolyte-based oxygen batteries | 271 |
| 2 | Solid-State Battery Electrodes | 126 |
| 3 | Sulfide solid electrolyte material, cathode body, … | 103 |
| 4 | Solid electrolyte structure for all-solid-state ba… | 101 |
| 5 | Solid-state battery and method for manufacturing e… | 90 |
| 6 | Sulfide solid electrolyte material, lithium solid-… | 82 |
| 7 | Solid-state lithium battery | 82 |
| 8 | all-solid-state cell | 70 |
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
The field combines high filing concentration at the cell level with relative sparsity in upstream materials chemistry, creating a two-speed innovation landscape that has different implications depending on where an entrant sits in the value chain.
Growth stage with annual filings still rising
The lifecycle evidence identifies this field as Growth: annual filings are still rising and the most recent years are understated by publication lag. Entry barriers are building as large incumbents accumulate portfolios, but the field has not yet reached the saturation that would make new claim space difficult to find. Timing favors continued investment in differentiated material compositions before dominant designs lock in.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a contested top tier
The top five filers hold 36% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output — concentrated enough to matter but not so dominant that challengers are locked out. The virtual tie between Toyota Motor Corporation and LG Energy Solution at the summit means neither has a commanding lead, and Honda Motor’s recent 92% filing increase signals that a third automotive player is moving aggressively. New entrants from Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and CATL add further competitive pressure.
Moderate concentrationLG Energy Solution–UC Regents partnership is the standout co-filing relationship
The most active co-filing pair is LG Energy Solution and the Regents of the University of California, with 30 joint patent families — far exceeding any other pairing. LG Energy Solution also co-files with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Electronic Component Technology. Toyota Motor Corporation maintains smaller but notable co-filing relationships with Panasonic, Daikin Industries, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Tokyo Institute of Technology, indicating a broader university-industry network strategy.
Industry–academiaUS leads filings; China and EPO show strong secondary coverage
The United States is the primary protection jurisdiction, followed by China and the EPO as strong secondary markets. WIPO PCT filings indicate broad international prosecution intent. Japan and South Korea together show meaningful but smaller volumes, consistent with the home-market filing behavior of the dominant Japanese and Korean applicants. India is an emerging secondary jurisdiction worth monitoring for enforcement risk.
US-led coverageGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| LG Energy Solution | The Regents of the University of California | 30 |
| LG Energy Solution | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | 4 |
| Samsung SDI Co Ltd | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 4 |
| The Regents of the University of California | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 4 |
| LG Energy Solution | Korea Institute of Electronic Component Technology | 3 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Tomoya Suzuki | 2 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Panasonic Corporation | 2 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Daikin Industries Ltd | 2 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) | 2 |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Tokyo Institute of Technology | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Toyota and LG Energy Solution lead on volume; Honda accelerates fastest
The top two filers are separated by only three patent families, but their trajectories diverge slightly — and Honda Motor’s acceleration makes it the most dynamic mover in the near term. Both leaders concentrate overwhelmingly on H01M battery-cell subclasses with secondary coverage of electrode materials.
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota leads with 203 patent families, focused primarily on H01M 10 (secondary batteries and manufacturing) and H01M 4 (electrodes), with a secondary position in H01B 1 (conductive materials) that reflects its sulfide electrolyte development program. Recent momentum shows a modest –8% trend against the prior three-year period, suggesting the portfolio is maturing rather than accelerating.
families: 203LG Energy Solution
LG Energy Solution holds 200 patent families and shares the same H01M 10 and H01M 4 concentration as Toyota, adding H01M 50 (battery housing and assembly) as a third pillar. Its recent filing trend is –15%, but this is contextualized by the large co-filing program with the University of California Regents (30 joint families), which may shift how joint IP is attributed across periods.
families: 200| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | 49 | ▼ -8% |
| LG Energy Solution | 61 | ▼ -15% |
| Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd | 15 | ▼ -72% |
| Samsung SDI Co Ltd | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| Honda Motor Co Ltd | 25 | ▲ +92% |
| The Regents of the University of California | 19 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co Ltd | 24 | ▲ new entrant |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) | 20 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served material-chemistry branches adjacent to the dominant cell-IP core
The IP activity in solid-state battery materials is heavily weighted toward cell-level innovation (H01M), leaving several upstream and cross-cutting material-science branches with relatively sparse coverage. The branches below are observations of relative sparsity and are worth evaluating for technical fit before treating them as entry opportunities.
C04B · Ceramics, cement & refractories
With only 26 patent-record occurrences, the ceramics and refractories branch is sparsely populated despite the central role of oxide and ceramic electrolytes (e.g., LLZO garnet, NASICON-type) in solid-state battery development. An entrant with expertise in sintering, tape-casting, or thin-film ceramic deposition could target this branch to build defensible upstream materials IP that complements the dominant cell-level portfolios. The realistic entry path is via novel densification or co-sintering processes not yet captured in H01M filings.
Search this in Eureka →C01D · Alkali-metal compounds
The alkali-metal compounds branch (C01D) shows only 20 patent-record occurrences, a thin footprint given that lithium-containing precursor chemistry underpins virtually every solid electrolyte formulation. This sparsity likely reflects the tendency of applicants to classify their work under H01M rather than the upstream inorganic chemistry class, but it also leaves potential claim space around novel lithium-salt synthesis routes and purification methods that would be difficult to block via H01M claims alone.
Search this in Eureka →How the leading filers differ across technology routes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 50 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01B 1 · Cables, conductors & insulators | C01B 25 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Strong · 186 | Strong · 138 | Absent | Emerging · 15 | Absent |
| LG Energy Solution | Strong · 154 | Strong · 95 | Emerging · 22 | Absent | Emerging · 3 |
| Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd | Strong · 93 | Strong · 60 | Moderate · 43 | Emerging · 15 | Emerging · 4 |
| Samsung SDI Co Ltd | Strong · 54 | Strong · 51 | Emerging · 8 | Absent | Absent |
| Resonac Corporation | Strong · 36 | Strong · 33 | Absent | Strong · 28 | Emerging · 2 |
| Honda Motor Co Ltd | Strong · 46 | Strong · 37 | Moderate · 12 | Absent | Absent |
| LG Chem Ltd | Strong · 50 | Strong · 40 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 1,782 patent families in scope across the global solid-state battery materials field.
Toyota Motor Corporation leads with 203 patent families, followed closely by LG Energy Solution with 200 patent families — a gap of only three families, making this effectively a two-way tie at the top.
The United States is the leading protection jurisdiction, followed by China and the EPO as strong secondary markets. WIPO PCT filings indicate that major applicants are pursuing broad international coverage.
The field is in the Growth stage. Annual filings are still rising and the multi-year growth rate stands at 9%. The most recent 18–24 months are likely undercounted due to patent publication lag.
Honda Motor Co Ltd shows the strongest acceleration among established players with a +92% trend versus the prior baseline. Samsung SDI, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the Regents of the University of California, and CATL are all identified as new entrants in the recent period, meaning they had no or negligible prior filings before their recent activity.
The largest co-applicant relationship by far is between LG Energy Solution and the Regents of the University of California, with 30 jointly filed patent families. LG Energy Solution also co-files with KAIST and the Korea Institute of Electronic Component Technology. Toyota Motor Corporation maintains co-filing relationships with Panasonic, Daikin Industries, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Tokyo Institute of Technology.
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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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