Supercapacitors Patent Landscape 2026
Supercapacitors Patent Landscape in 2026
The supercapacitors patent corpus spans 9,715 families and is concentrated among Japanese and U.S. incumbents, with Panasonic Holdings leading at 594 families. Annual filing volume peaked in 2018 and has eased since; the field is now in a post-peak phase with China holding the largest single filing office footprint.
Panasonic leads a moderately concentrated field anchored by Japanese and U.S. incumbents
Panasonic Holdings Corp holds the largest position in this corpus with 594 patent families, placing it well ahead of the Regents of the University of California (357 families) and Daikin Industries (307 families) in the ranked applicant list.
The top five filers together account for 18% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers — a moderate concentration level indicating that no single player has a commanding lock on the field and that meaningful positions are held by a long tail of mid-tier applicants including component specialists, chemicals firms, and universities.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panasonic Holdings Corp | 594 | |
| 2 | Regents of the University of California | 357 | |
| 3 | Daikin Industries Ltd | 307 | |
| 4 | Kyocera AVX Components Corp | 243 | |
| 5 | Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation | 234 | |
| 6 | AGC Inc. | 200 | |
| 7 | Zeon Corporation | 197 | |
| 8 | NEC Corporation | 191 | |
| 9 | Honda Motor Co. Ltd. | 168 | |
| 10 | Corning Incorporated | 167 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 164 | |
| 12 | Elna Co. Ltd. | 159 | |
| 13 | TDK Corporation | 156 | |
| 14 | Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. Ltd. | 149 | |
| 15 | Tokin Corporation | 147 | |
| 16 | Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. | 145 | |
| 17 | Semicon Energy Lab Co. Ltd. | 141 | |
| 18 | FastCap Systems Corp | 139 | |
| 19 | French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) | 132 | |
| 20 | Guilin University of Electronic Technology | 131 |
The presence of a major university (UC system) in second place and national research bodies (CNRS, CEA) in the top twenty signals that fundamental materials research is still patent-active alongside commercial device development, creating a technology-transfer dynamic that new entrants can potentially leverage.
Rankings and the corpus total of 9,715 are measured in patent families; branch, jurisdiction, and route-matrix figures are at the patent-record level, where a single family filing in multiple offices or classified under multiple IPC codes contributes to each relevant count, so those tallies can exceed the family total. The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and will undercount actual filings.
Filings have eased from a 2018 peak; capacitor-device records dominate but materials branches are substantial
The annual trend chart reveals how activity evolved from a 2017–2018 surge to a post-peak contraction, while the IPC composition chart shows where technical effort is concentrated and which adjacent branches carry meaningful but lower volumes.
Annual filing trend
Annual family filings reached 1,567 in 2018 and have declined each subsequent year to 925 in 2022 and 903 in 2023. Figures for 2024–2026 are materially understated due to publication lag and should not be read as further decline; the multi-year window still shows the 2017–2018 period as the peak of activity.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01G (Capacitors) dominates at the patent-record level, consistent with device-level filings. H01M (Batteries, cells and fuel cells) is the second-largest branch, reflecting hybrid energy-storage architectures and electrode research that bridges supercapacitors with battery chemistry. Materials branches — C01B (inorganic compounds), B82Y (nanotechnology), C01G (metal compounds), and polymer classes — form a meaningful secondary cluster, indicating active upstream materials innovation alongside device-level work.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaFoundational and most-cited patents
The most-cited families that anchor this space. Hover a row and click to open it in Eureka.
Energy storage device
Embodiments of the disclosure set forth energy storage devices. Some example energy storage devices include a first hybrid capacitor, a first battery and an electric double-layer capacitor. The first hybrid capacitor includes a first positive electrode, a first negative electrode and a first electrolyte. The first battery couples to the first hybrid… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Negative electrode material for nonaqueous electro… | 651 |
| 2 | Graphitic nanofibers in electrochemical capacitors | 363 |
| 3 | Electric double-layer capacitor | 361 |
| 4 | Electrode materials with high surface conductivity | 334 |
| 5 | Mesoporous network electrode for electrochemical c… | 324 |
| 6 | Electrode materials with high surface conductivity | 280 |
| 7 | Method and apparatus for capacitive deionization a… | 267 |
| 8 | Thin flexible rechargeable electrochemical energy … | 243 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts accrue over time, so this list favours older, broadly-cited patents and may include general-purpose work beyond the specific topic; treat it as foundational context rather than a current-activity ranking.
What the IP structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — maturity stage, concentration, collaborative ecosystem, and geographic filing footprint — each carry direct implications for where new R&D effort is most defensible.
Post-peak field: foundational positions are set, incremental differentiation now drives value
Annual filings peaked in 2018 and have eased consistently since, placing the field in a decline stage by filing-volume metrics. Core device architectures are well-covered, shifting competitive value toward materials differentiation, system integration, and application-specific optimization rather than broad platform claims. New entrants face a high prior-art density in H01G and should target adjacent or hybrid spaces.
Post-peak · 2018 peakModerate concentration: top five hold 18% of the hundred largest filers’ output
The top five applicants account for 18% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating no single dominant blockholder. Mid-tier applicants — components specialists such as Kyocera AVX and Nippon Chemi-Con and materials firms such as AGC and Zeon — hold substantial positions. This structure means freedom-to-operate analysis must cover a broad set of holders, but also that licensing or partnership paths with multiple mid-tier players are feasible.
Moderate concentrationCo-filing activity concentrated in a few bilateral pairs, led by AGC and Elna
The most active co-filing pair is AGC Inc. (Asahi Glass) and Elna Co. Ltd., with 130 jointly filed families — by far the largest bilateral collaboration in the corpus. Panasonic and Sanyo Chemical Industries represent the second most active pair at 59 joint families. The UC system co-filed with multiple commercial partners including Nanotech Energy (15 families), South 8 Technologies (15 families), and Imprint Energy (10 families), illustrating a university-to-startup technology-transfer pathway. Several other university-agency pairs (Nippon Chemi-Con with AIST, NEC with JST, Daikin with Osaka University) confirm that academic-industry collaboration is structurally embedded in this landscape.
University–industry links activeChina leads by filing office volume; U.S. and Japan remain core jurisdictions
At the patent-record level, China is the leading filing office, followed by the United States and Japan. Europe (EPO) and WIPO/PCT filings indicate international protection strategies by major incumbents. South Korea and India represent notable secondary markets. The concentration of records in China, Japan, and the U.S. means that any competitive freedom-to-operate assessment must prioritize those three offices, while EPO coverage signals commercial intent in European markets.
China · US · Japan core trioGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AGC Inc. | Elna Co. Ltd. | 130 |
| Panasonic Corporation (Japan) | Sanyo Chemical Industries Ltd | 59 |
| Regents of the University of California | Nanotech Energy Inc. | 15 |
| Regents of the University of California | South 8 Technologies Inc. | 15 |
| Regents of the University of California | Imprint Energy Inc. | 10 |
| Panasonic Corporation (Japan) | Nippon Kinzoku Co. Ltd. | 8 |
| Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation | National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) | 7 |
| Regents of the University of California | BioSolar Inc. | 6 |
| Daikin Industries Ltd | Osaka University | 6 |
| NEC Corporation | Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) | 6 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Panasonic anchors the field; UC Regents leads academic filers with a broad electrode-materials focus
The top two filers illustrate divergent strategies: a vertically integrated device maker versus a research institution with a strong electrode-materials and hybrid-energy-storage profile. Both show recent filing contractions consistent with the post-peak market dynamic.
Panasonic Holdings Corp
Panasonic Holdings Corp leads the corpus with 594 patent families. Its technical focus is concentrated in H01G 11 (electrochemical double-layer capacitors) and H01G 9 (electrolytic capacitors), with a secondary presence in H01M 10 (battery/cell systems), reflecting broad coverage across capacitor device types and hybrid storage architectures. Momentum data for Panasonic is not separately broken out in the applicant-momentum dataset; the broader field trend indicates post-peak contraction.
families: 594Regents of the University of California
The UC system holds 357 patent families, the largest academic position in the corpus. Its focus spans H01G 11 (capacitors), H01M 4 (electrode materials for cells), and H01M 10 (battery/cell systems), indicating a research profile bridging supercapacitor and battery electrode chemistry. Recent filing momentum shows a decline of 63% versus the prior three-year period, consistent with the field-wide post-peak trend. The institution’s active co-filing with commercial partners — Nanotech Energy, South 8 Technologies, Imprint Energy, and BioSolar — underscores a technology-transfer orientation.
families: 357| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Regents of the University of California | 27 | ▼ -63% |
| Daikin Industries Ltd | 16 | ▼ -77% |
| FastCap Systems Corp | 46 | ▼ -31% |
| Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation | 1 | ▼ -94% |
| Kyocera AVX Components Corp | 23 | ▼ -63% |
| AGC Inc. | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Zeon Corporation | 39 | ▼ -50% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the dominant capacitor core
Five IPC classes appear at meaningfully lower patent-record densities relative to the dominant H01G cluster. Two stand out for both their relative sparsity and plausible technical relevance to supercapacitor advancement.
H02J · Power Supply and Grid Systems
H02J records number 624 at the patent-record level — sparse relative to the H01G core — covering power-supply circuits, grid integration, and charging systems for supercapacitors. The technical value is concrete: supercapacitors used in grid buffering, regenerative braking, and microgrid applications require application-specific power-management IP that is distinct from cell-level chemistry. An entry path exists through system-level circuit and control patents rather than electrode materials, reducing overlap with the incumbent materials-heavy positions held by Panasonic, Daikin, and AGC.
Search this in Eureka →H01B · Cables, Conductors and Insulators
H01B records total 558, representing work on current-collector materials, conductive additives, and separator-adjacent conductor technologies. Relative to the dense H01G core, this branch is an observation of lower filing intensity; it is adjacent to electrode and electrolyte engineering rather than a standalone device space. The potential entry path is through novel conductive substrate or current-collector architectures — areas where materials chemistry expertise (C01B, B82Y) intersects with electrical component design and where the existing record density is low enough to allow claim differentiation.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01G 11 · Capacitors | H01G 9 · Capacitors | H01M 4 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | H01M 10 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 32 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panasonic Corporation (Japan) | Strong · 625 | Strong · 533 | Emerging · 88 | Emerging · 124 | Absent |
| Daikin Industries Ltd | Strong · 304 | Moderate · 84 | Absent | Strong · 265 | Absent |
| Regents of the University of California | Strong · 347 | Absent | Moderate · 113 | Moderate · 73 | Emerging · 56 |
| NEC Corporation | Strong · 225 | Strong · 211 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation | Strong · 222 | Moderate · 91 | Moderate · 78 | Absent | Absent |
| AGC Inc. | Strong · 204 | Strong · 165 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Zeon Corporation | Strong · 194 | Absent | Strong · 153 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 9,715 patent families globally. Rankings and the total are measured at the family level; branch and jurisdiction counts are at the patent-record level and can exceed this total because a single family may file in multiple offices or carry multiple IPC classifications.
Panasonic Holdings Corp leads with 594 patent families, followed by the Regents of the University of California (357 families) and Daikin Industries Ltd (307 families). The top five filers collectively represent 18% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers.
Annual filings peaked in 2018 at 1,567 families and have declined each year since, reaching 925 in 2022 and 903 in 2023. Data for 2024–2026 are materially incomplete due to publication lag and do not reflect actual filing volumes for those years.
China leads at the patent-record level, followed by the United States, Japan, and Europe (EPO). South Korea and India are notable secondary markets. These counts are at the record level; a family filing in all five offices contributes to each jurisdiction’s count.
The most-cited work in the corpus covers negative electrode materials for nonaqueous electrolytes (651 citations), graphitic nanofibers in electrochemical capacitors (363 citations), electric double-layer capacitor designs (361 citations), electrode materials with high surface conductivity (334 and 280 citations), and mesoporous network electrodes for electrochemical capacitors (324 citations).
The most active bilateral co-filing pair is AGC Inc. and Elna Co. Ltd. with 130 jointly filed families. Panasonic and Sanyo Chemical Industries co-filed on 59 families. The UC Regents co-filed with Nanotech Energy (15 families), South 8 Technologies (15 families), and Imprint Energy (10 families), illustrating a university-to-startup commercialization pathway.
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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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