Styrenic Block Copolymers Patents: Top Companies & Trends 2026
- 515 of 1,447 records sit with the top five assignees alone — 35.6% of everything filed since 2015.
- Filing peaked in 2018 at 97 and has fallen every few years since, with the 2022 midpoint at 40 — this is a maturing claim space, not a growing one.
- C08L polymer-composition claims dominate at 64.9% of records, while coatings (C09D) sit at just 4.6% — a visible gap between formulation and application claims.
What the SBS/SEBS patent record actually covers
The dataset covers 1,447 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine styrenic block copolymer chemistry — SBS, SEBS and related hydrogenated grades — with a defined application or process claim: oil absorption, compounding, hydrogenation routes, weatherability, asphalt modification, overmold adhesion or hardness-range formulation. That scoping matters: it excludes generic block-copolymer synthesis patents that make no application claim, and keeps the corpus focused on the commercially relevant intersection of chemistry and use.
Because a single filing can carry several IPC classes at once, the technology composition figures below sum to more than 100% of records — read them as coverage density per subclass, not as a partition of the field. Publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the most recent year in the trend line is understated and should not be read as a real drop-off yet.
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Concentration, trend and technology mix
Three views of the same 1,447-record corpus: who files, how filing has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A field past its filing peak
Filings ran from 58 in 2017 up to a peak of 97 in 2018, back down to 40 at the 2022 midpoint and 8 in the most recent (partial) year. Read the tail end cautiously given the 18-month publication lag, but the multi-year decline from the 2018 peak is a real signal that the core chemistry claim space is filling up rather than expanding.
Composition claims dominate, application claims trail
C08L (polymer compositions) appears in 64.9% of the 1,447 records, roughly three times the share of C09D (coatings, paints and inks) at 4.6%. Adhesives (C09J, 17.2%) and layered products (B32B, 15.8%) show meaningful but secondary density — evidence that most protection sits on the base compound rather than on finished-article or coating applications.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,447 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Styrenic Block Copolymers (SBS and SEBS) with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about styrenic block copolymers (sbs and sebs) and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative claim and the most-cited prior art
Silane Functionalized Styrenic Block Copolymer (US20220298351A1, Kraton Corporation)
The filing claims a silane-functionalized hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer (SiHSBC): 80-99.90 wt% hydrogenated SBC combined with 0.1-20 wt% silane, where the SBC's conjugated-diene block is over 80 wt% polymerized 1,3-butadiene. It covers both the functionalized polymer composition and the resulting thermoplastic elastomer compound.Filed by Kraton Corporation, published 2022-09-22.
View full filing| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5468574A | Fuel cell incorporating novel ion-conducting membrane | 420 |
| 2 | US5679482A | Fuel cell incorporating novel ion-conducting membrane | 254 |
| 3 | US20060211819A1 | Polymer blends from interpolymers of ethylene/alpha-olefins and flexible molded articles made therefrom | 244 |
| 4 | US5884639A | Crystal gels with improved properties | 217 |
| 5 | US5401792A | Sprayable thermoplastic compositions | 147 |
| 6 | US6103814A | Styrenic block copolymer based hot-melt adhesives, their use for disposable soft goods, and tackifying resins… | 132 |
| 7 | US5391626A | Styrenic block copolymer and process for producing same | 117 |
| 8 | US6794024B1 | Styrenic block copolymer breathable elastomeric films | 110 |
| 9 | US20020049276A1 | Thermoplastic elastomer gel compositions and method of making same | 102 |
| 10 | US20130225020A1 | High flow, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer and applications | 101 |
Citation counts favour older filings simply by virtue of being in circulation longer — treat this table as a map of influential prior art, not a ranking of current importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the data means for filing strategy
Four read-outs from the concentration, trend and classification figures above.
The core chemistry is locked up by a handful of filers
Five assignees hold 515 of the 1,447 records in scope, and the top ten extend that to 685 records (47.3%). A new entrant filing on base SBS/SEBS composition is filing into dense, well-defended prior art.
Filing has slowed since the 2018 peak
Volume ran 58 in 2017, peaked at 97 in 2018, and sat at 40 by the 2022 midpoint before falling toward single digits — allowing for the reporting lag on the last year or two, this is a declining filing curve, not a growing one.
Composition claims crowd out application claims
Polymer-composition claims (C08L) sit in nearly two-thirds of records, while coatings and paint applications (C09D) appear in under 5%. Adhesives and laminates carry moderate density, but finished-product and coating claims remain comparatively open.
Co-filing is limited and concentrated among the same names
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the corpus, and the strongest of these link entities already prominent in the individual ranking — collaboration here reads as intra-group or joint-venture filing rather than broad industry partnership.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to styrenic block copolymers (sbs and sebs), with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and who has gone quiet
The ranking covers 100 companies returned by the data endpoint — not a top-50 or top-100 cut, just the full ranked set the search returns. Recent-year momentum tells a different story from all-time volume.
A single filer holds a clear lead
The top-ranked assignee holds 201 records, well ahead of fifth place at 56 and tenth place at 23 — the drop-off from first to fifth is steep, then the tail flattens.
Even active filers are pulling back
Several of the most prominent historical assignees show zero filings in the latest year, and one shows a 60% year-on-year decline from an already small base — recent momentum across the named leaders is flat to negative.
Filing is split across three major offices, not one
The United States (341) and the European Patent Office (319) lead receiving-office counts, with WIPO/PCT (165), China (159), Austria (71) and India (71) following — a genuinely multi-jurisdictional filing pattern rather than a single home market.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Kraton Polymers Nederland B.V. | 2 | -60% |
| Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. | 2 | — |
| Kraton Polymers U.S. LLC | 0 | — |
| Avient Corporation | 0 | -100% |
| Dow Global Technologies LLC | 0 | — |
| Kraton Polymers Research B.V. | 0 | — |
| Bostik SA | 0 | — |
| Kraton Polymers LLC | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The figures above describe the field as filed. Turning that into a filing or freedom-to-operate decision means going claim by claim.
Map the white space against your own formulation
Cross-reference the under-claimed branches — coatings, overmold adhesion, weatherability packages — against your own compound's hardness range and additive package before drafting.
Explore white space in EurekaTrack the leading assignees' recent filings
Several top-ranked filers show flat or negative recent-year momentum; confirm whether that reflects a genuine pullback or a publication-lag artefact before assuming the space is open.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaCommon questions on SBS/SEBS patents
One assignee leads the ranked field clearly, with 201 records against 56 at fifth place and 23 at tenth — a steep drop-off before the ranking flattens into a long tail. The top five assignees combined hold 515 of the 1,447 records in scope (35.6%), and the top ten extend that to 685 records (47.3%). That level of concentration means a new filer working on core SBS/SEBS composition chemistry is entering a space already well covered by a small number of established players.
No — filing peaked in 2018 at 97 records and has declined since, sitting at 40 by the 2022 midpoint and falling toward single digits in the most recent partial year. Some of that recent drop reflects the roughly 18-month lag between filing and publication rather than a real stop in activity, but the multi-year trend from the 2018 peak downward is consistent enough to read as a maturing, not expanding, filing curve. Anyone benchmarking activity should weight the last one to two years lightly.
The IPC composition shows a clear gap between base-chemistry claims and application claims: C08L (polymer compositions) covers 64.9% of the 1,447 records, while C09D (coatings, paints and inks) covers only 4.6%. Adhesives and laminate applications sit in between at moderate density. That pattern suggests formulation and application-specific claims — particularly coatings, overmold adhesion and weatherability packages — carry more room to file than the base polymer composition itself.
US20220298351A1, filed by Kraton Corporation, claims a silane-functionalized hydrogenated styrenic block copolymer made from 80-99.90 wt% hydrogenated SBC and 0.1-20 wt% silane, where the diene block is over 80 wt% polymerized 1,3-butadiene. It is a composition claim tied to specific weight-percent ranges and a minimum butadiene content in the diene block, so it does not block SBC/SEBS chemistry generally — only silane-functionalized variants falling inside those stated ranges. Formulations outside the stated wt% windows, or using non-silane functionalization routes, sit outside its literal claim scope, though a full freedom-to-operate check should also cover its dependent claims and file history.
The United States (341 records) and the European Patent Office (319) are the two largest receiving offices, followed by WIPO/PCT filings (165), China (159), and Austria and India (71 each). The spread across three major systems — US, EPO and PCT — rather than concentration in one home market indicates filers in this space are pursuing multi-jurisdictional protection as standard practice, not treating it as a single-market 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.
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.