Li-ion Battery Patent Landscape 2020

First commercialised in the 1990s, the Li-ion battery consists of a graphitic or carbonaceous negative electrode, a lithium salt dissolved in an organic solvent as the electrolyte and a transition metal oxide as the cathode. While this setup has not fundamentally changed, the performance, safety and cost of Li-ion batteries have improved substantially as a result of continuous R&D into to almost all components of a Li-ion cell and battery. Indeed, further improvements may be necessary to truly disrupt automotive and power generation markets, and R&D effort has grown in line with the growth in the market, as can be demonstrated by the growth in Li-ion patents. There has been consistent growth in patents across Li-ion technology and across many technology groups. Specifically covered in the report are trends and analyses on NMC/NCA and Li- and Mn-rich cathodes, silicon and titanate, electrolytes and electrolyte additives, separators and nanocarbons. Significant growth in the number of applications per year, including for a number of individual topic areas, was seen particularly between 2010-2015. While all areas covered have seen growth since 2010, the number of patents regarding the use of nanocarbons in Li-ion have seen the most substantial growth over the past 10 years.

 

New battery advancements and energy storage technologies are regularly publicised, but they are competing against a moving target in Li-ion batteries. Reviewing the patent literature can provide valuable information and context for which direction innovation is heading in and which areas are seeing the most recent activity. NMC and NCA layered oxides have been commercial for many years now but development continues as the industry attempts to further increase nickel and lower cobalt content of these materials. At the anode, silicon can be added in small percentages to improve capacity, but increasing the amount of silicon beyond a few percent means silicon anodes are yet to enter the market. Beyond the active materials, solid-state batteries and electrolytes rightly receive considerable attention and hype. Nevertheless, liquid electrolytes are still a key area of development, with additives potentially playing a decisive role in commercialising new anode and cathode materials. This patent analysis will provide insight into how these materials are being developed, the challenges associated with incorporating new technologies, which companies are active in these topics, and how strategies may differ between the top assignees.

 

The report provides a view of the main IP trends with respect to geographical activity, player strategy and technological trends and can be used to help clarify what innovation is taking place in Li-ion batteries and where. The report also provides an overview of the patent trends for Li-ion players and assignees, ranks assignees in each topic category and provides a deeper dive and comparison on particular topics that are focussed on by the top assignees. A breakdown of patents that are active or pending, compared to the total number of applications made, is also provided to allow insight into assignees who have been recently active in Li-ion innovation.

 

 

This report will provide insight and discussion on where Li-ion performance improvements will come from and as an outcome of the analysis, example patents are also reviewed and discussed in the context of current Li-ion market developments alongside a discussion of future technology commercialisation. Highlighted in the report are key technology/IP trends, geographical activity, key players and assignees, and player rankings.

 

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