Since its discovery in 2004, graphene has not only received significant attention in theoretical science, but also demonstrated enormous application potential in numerous fields such as electronics, optics, magnetism, biomedicine, catalysis, energy storage, and sensors due to its unique nanostructure and excellent physicochemical properties, attracting high attention from the scientific and industrial communities. Countries around the world have made graphene and its application technologies a long-term strategic development direction, hoping to gain the initiative and advantage in the new round of industrial revolution triggered by graphene.
In recent years, patent applications related to graphene have been rising rapidly worldwide, making it a vibrant and emerging hot field.
Patent applications enter a period of steady growth
Research on graphene has been ongoing for a long time, but it was long considered a hypothetical structure, unable to exist stably on its own. It wasn't until 2004 that Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, scientists at the University of Manchester in the UK, successfully isolated graphene from graphite in an experiment, proving that it could exist independently. The two scientists were jointly awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering experiments in the study of two-dimensional graphene materials.
Graphene-related patent applications first appeared at the end of the last century, but development was relatively slow. It wasn't until after 2008 that the number of patent applications began to rise substantially. Especially after Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov jointly won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on graphene, the number of global graphene patent applications began to surge, indicating that graphene-related patent technologies entered a period of rapid development. The annual number of graphene-related patents in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 were 1161, 2403, 3704, and 5047 respectively, reaching 450 as of June 2015.
The life cycle of a technology typically consists of several stages: emergence, growth, maturity, and bottleneck (decline). In the emergence stage, societal investment is low, and the number of patent applications and patent holders is small. In the growth stage, the industry achieves breakthroughs or manufacturers recognize the market value, leading to competitive investment and a rapid increase in both patent applications and patent holders. In the maturity stage, manufacturers cease investing in R&D, and other manufacturers have little incentive to enter the market, resulting in a gradual slowdown or stabilization in both patent applications and patent holders. During the bottleneck stage, the relevant industry becomes too mature, or R&D encounters bottlenecks and struggles to achieve new breakthroughs, leading to a negative increase in both patent applications and patent holders.
Prior to 2008, graphene-related patent technologies were in their nascent stage; after 2009, they entered a period of rapid growth and are expected to reach maturity after 2014. Currently, some companies have begun the industrialization of graphene technology. Since 2009, a large number of new inventors have entered the graphene-related technology field each year. In recent years, a large number of new technology entries have emerged annually in this field. This indicates that graphene-related technologies are in a growth phase, with global R&D investment rapidly increasing, driving the continuous expansion of graphene technology applications. It can be predicted that in the coming years, the number of global graphene patent applications will continue to rise steadily.
Our country was the first to intrude into our territory
Research has found that graphene patent technologies are mainly concentrated in the following areas: graphene preparation, such as redox methods and chemical vapor deposition (CVD); graphene for the preparation of semiconductor devices, optoelectronic devices and field emission transistors; graphene for the preparation of graphene composite materials and thin films; and graphene for lithium-ion battery electrodes.
The key technological areas of graphene patents include the following: graphene preparation, such as liquid phase exfoliation, chemical oxidation, epitaxial growth, and chemical vapor deposition; graphene dispersion and powder preparation technologies; graphene as an electrode material for lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and solar cells; graphene for the fabrication of semiconductor devices such as thin-film transistors, optoelectronic devices, and transparent conductive films; graphene for composite materials, such as conductive and thermally conductive materials, composite fibers, and carbon fibers; coatings, graphene functional films, sensors, and water treatment.
my country ranks first among countries in graphene technology origination, with its number of patent applications significantly exceeding that of other countries and regions, accounting for 46% of the market share. South Korea, the United States, and Japan follow closely behind, also being major originators of this technology. This is because the field is currently on the verge of industrialization and requires strong government support. The Chinese government's numerous special projects supporting graphene technology have greatly accelerated the country's research and development in this field, laying a solid foundation for its future leading position in the industry.
The United States and Japan were the first countries to enter this technological field, while other countries began related research around 2006. Among them, the number of applications from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada has remained stable with a slow increase, while the number of applications from my country, the United States, and South Korea has increased rapidly after 2010. my country has seen the fastest growth, with most of its graphene-related patents being accepted in the last three years, and its total number of patent applications has far surpassed that of the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
The rankings of countries originating the technology and those applying for technology targets are largely similar, indicating that my country, South Korea, the United States, and Japan are not only important sources of graphene technology origin but also important protectors of the technology. Looking at the scope of technology applications from each originating country, South Korea, the United States, and Japan are actively pursuing global expansion, while my country needs to further strengthen its efforts in this area.
directions to strive for
Globally, graphene-related technologies are still in a phase of rapid development. Patent applicants in the US, Japan, and South Korea are primarily large multinational corporations, focusing on bottom-up graphene preparation and related applications. These countries hold a dominant position in both the number of patent applications and their patent portfolios. Chinese applicants started their patent applications in this field later, and their applicants are relatively scattered, lacking a large-scale patent portfolio. While Chinese patent applicants currently focus on top-down graphene preparation and related applications, and hold an advantage in the number of patent applications, very few patents have been filed through patent cooperation agreements.
In the preparation of graphene via the Top-Down method, domestic applicants in my country currently dominate patent applications in this field, with popular areas including lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, solar energy, conductive/thermal conductive materials, microwave absorbing materials, corrosion protection, and lubrication.
In the bottom-up graphene preparation process, particularly in graphene growth equipment and graphene film transfer technology, foreign applicants have filed fewer patent applications in China, but most are fundamental patents. Domestic applicants started later in this field but have developed rapidly, with their patented technologies primarily concentrated in graphene film growth, improvements to related equipment technologies, and downstream industries such as liquid crystal displays and touch screens. In the field of graphene film transfer technology, domestic involvement is extremely limited. Most applicants' patent applications in this area are filed after Samsung's in South Korea, and currently, there are no patents in China for equipment for large-scale graphene film transfer. While foreign applicants currently hold a significant advantage in the number of patent applications in this field, their patented technologies are mostly focused on basic research, and a considerable number of these patents have limited industrial application value.
In recent years, my country has gradually increased its support for high-tech industries, and many high-tech companies have invested in the preparation and application research of graphene films. Compared with foreign patent applicants, Chinese patent applications in this field show a more obvious industrialization orientation. However, applicants are relatively scattered and lack cooperation among themselves. It is recommended that relevant national departments strengthen policy guidance and support to promote industry-university-research cooperation and technology transfer in this technological field.
