VRFB Electrolyte Stability Patent Snapshot 2026
The VRFB electrolyte stability space is a compact, moderately concentrated field led by a Chinese industry-research tandem, with annual filings plateaued near their recent peak. Dominant activity sits within battery-cell IPC classes, leaving adjacent polymer-processing and catalysis branches comparatively sparse.
Dalian Rongke Power leads a field with clear Chinese research dominance
Dalian Rongke Power holds the top position in the applicant ranking, followed closely by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Toray Advanced Materials Korea. Together, the top five filers account for 48% of the combined total of the ranked applicants visible in this query, signalling meaningful but not absolute concentration.
A two-tier structure is visible: the Chinese industry-academic pair at the top are separated from the rest of the field by a notable gap, while most other filers — including ThyssenKrupp, Fraunhofer, Sumitomo Electric, and Tokuyama — each hold only a handful of patent records.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dalian Rongke Power Co., Ltd. | 13 | |
| 2 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 9 | |
| 3 | Toray Advanced Materials Korea Inc. | 6 | |
| 4 | Korea Institute of Energy Research | 2 | |
| 5 | ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG | 2 | |
| 6 | WattJoule Corporation | 2 | |
| 7 | Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung | 2 | |
| 8 | VRB Energy Inc. | 2 | |
| 9 | Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. | 2 | |
| 10 | ThyssenKrupp AG | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Tokuyama Corporation | 2 | |
| 12 | The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. | 2 | |
| 13 | Shanghai Tandong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 14 | Xiamen University | 1 | |
| 15 | Shandong Liuliuhai Materials Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 16 | Tectonic Power Pte Ltd | 1 | |
| 17 | Abotrei Energy Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 18 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | 1 | |
| 19 | Shandong Renfeng Special Materials Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 20 | IBT | 1 |
The dominance of Dalian Rongke Power and its frequent collaborator, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, implies that the core electrolyte-stability IP in membrane and cell design is largely controlled by a single Sino-academic ecosystem. Challengers seeking freedom-to-operate will need to navigate this bloc carefully.
The most recent approximately 18–24 months of filings are likely under-represented due to standard patent publication lag; the 2025–2026 data should be treated as a lower bound. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing activity has plateaued; battery-cell IPC classes dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend and technology-composition chart together show a field that has stabilised around its current activity level, with an overwhelmingly concentrated technology focus in the H01M class.
Annual filing trend
Filing counts have been irregular across the decade, with the highest single-year volume recorded in 2024. Activity in 2025 and 2026 appears low, but these years are subject to publication lag and should not be read as a real decline. The overall picture is a plateau rather than a sustained upward trajectory.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells, and fuel cells) accounts for the substantial majority of classified records, reflecting the cell- and membrane-level framing of most VRFB electrolyte-stability work. Condensation polymers (C08G) form the only other branch with more than a handful of records, pointing to membrane material synthesis as the primary secondary focus. All remaining IPC classes — including polymer processing, catalysis, and power-grid systems — hold only one or two records each.
↗ 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.
VANADIUM REDOX-DURCHFLUSSBATTERIE UND BETRIEBSVERF…
An all-vanadium redox flow battery and an operation method thereof, which belong to the field of flow batteries. The all-vanadium redox flow battery comprises a positive electrolyte and a negative electrolyte. A total vanadium ratio of the positive electrolyte and the negative electrolyte is maintained at the following ratio: positive electrolyte: negative… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single capacity balancing in a redox flow battery | 27 |
| 2 | Diaphragm in vanadium redox flow battery | 22 |
| 3 | Aromatic polymer ion exchange membranes, its compo… | 18 |
| 4 | Electrolyte for vanadium redox flow battery and re… | 10 |
| 5 | バナジウム系レドックスフロー電池用隔膜 | 8 |
| 6 | All-vanadium redox flow battery and operation meth… | 7 |
| 7 | 一种全钒氧化还原液流电池 | 6 |
| 8 | 一种全钒液流电池的散热装置 | 6 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Dalian Rongke Power
Dalian Rongke Power leads the ranking with 13 patent records, focused primarily on H01M battery-cell and fuel-cell technology, with secondary coverage in C08G condensation polymers — consistent with membrane material development. The company’s close co-filing relationship with Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics amplifies its effective IP footprint beyond its own filings. No applicant-momentum data is available for this filer in the recent window, placing it in the established rather than accelerating category.
13 patent recordsFraunhofer Gesellschaft
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung holds 2 patent records and is identified as a new entrant in the most recent filing period — a signal of fresh European institutional interest in this space. Its technology focus sits within H01M, consistent with the field’s visible class. As a publicly funded research organisation, its filings may precede or accompany commercial partnerships, making it a potential indicator of European industry activity to watch.
2 patent recordsFrequently asked questions
The evidence covers 29 patent families in scope for VRFB electrolyte stability globally.
Dalian Rongke Power is the top-ranked filer with 13 patent records, well ahead of the second-ranked Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences) with 9 patent records.
China leads with 11 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 10 and the United States with 8.
The field is classified as Maturity, with annual filings plateaued near their peak. This suggests the foundational IP framework is largely established.
The most active co-filing pair is Dalian Rongke Power and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, with 6 jointly filed records. ThyssenKrupp AG and ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions have co-filed 2 records. Beyond these pairings, co-filing activity is sparse.
C08J (polymer processing and solutions) holds only 3 patent records and B01J (chemical/physical processes and catalysis) holds only 2, making them the sparsest adjacent branches relative to their technical relevance to electrolyte stability.
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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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