SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France – January 8, 2026 │ In just a decade, China has risen from a marginal role to emerge as the undisputed leader of the LMFP patent landscape.

LMFP: a Promising Cathode Material for Next-Generation Li-ion Batteries

Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) is a promising emerging cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, developed as a derivative of LFP that retains critical attributes like structural stability, low cost, high thermal stability and safety, and relatively good cycle life. LMFP offers a significant advantage over LFP by providing a 10–20% higher energy density due to the manganese substitution, along with a higher voltage platform and better low temperature performance. This material also benefits from a lower cost per kWh compared to NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) and the ability to leverage existing LFP manufacturing processes and infrastructure. Despite these advantages, LMFP still faces several challenges, notably poor electrical conductivity and slow lithium-ion diffusion. A key limitation compared to LFP is the reduced calendar and cycle life, resulting from the Jahn-Teller distortion of Mn and metal dissolution into the electrolyte, which also drives performance degradation linked to Mn³⁺. Operational and systems challenges include the difficulty of state-of-charge (SOC) estimation, like LFP, and the presence of a dual voltage plateau, which compromises cell consistency and causes mileage data fluctuations in battery management systems (BMS). To overcome these limitations and enable large-scale commercialization, current research focuses on physicochemical modifications aimed at improving electrical conductivity, lithium-ion diffusion, and overall stability. Specific research efforts include nanostructuring and morphology control, surface coating using carbon or non-carbon materials (like ion-conductive materials or metal oxides), and various ion-doping strategies applied at the Li, Mn/Fe, or anionic sites. LMFP is positioned for applications in mid-to-long range electric vehicles (EVs) and heavy-duty vehicles and also has potential to be blended with NCM materials to create high-voltage cathodes.

The LMFP Patent Landscape is Fast-Growing and Undergoing Major Shifts

Today, the LMFP patent landscape counts over 7,810+ patent families (inventions), covering the whole supply chain, from precursors and cathode materials to their use in electrode and battery cells. In such a dense and moving landscape, it is important to be aware of its competitors’ move and secure its intellectual property (IP) position. “Patent landscape analysis is the perfect complement to market research, to fully comprehend the competitive landscape and technology roadmap, keep abreast of cutting-edge technology developments, anticipate future technology adoption, and understand the different competitors’ strategies. This kind of patent landscape report reveals the companies, technical solutions and strategies not identified through standard market analysis”, affirms Fleur Thissandier, PhD, Technology and Patent Senior Analyst Batteries & Materials at KnowMade.

Figure 1: Number of patent families related to LMFP by earliest publication years.

The evolution of patent publications related to LMFP cathode active material for Li-ion batteries has undergone a significant transformation, shifting from pioneer activity by Western and Japanese entities to overwhelming dominance by Chinese IP players (Figure 2). Early patenting activity was led by pioneers originating from Canada (Hydro-Québec, University of Montréal), Europe (CNRS, Valence Technology), and Japan (NTT, GS Yuasa, Murata/Sony Battery, Panasonic/Sanyo), with initial patents covering both LFP and LMFP. Until 2010, most patent filings originated from non-Chinese entities, including South Korean companies like LG Chem/LGES and Samsung, Japanese firms such as Toyota and Murata Manufacturing/Sony Battery, American entities (A123Sytems, University of Chicago, etc.), and European players like Saft/Total Energies and Johnson Matthey. However, a major inflection point occurred around 2012, when patenting activity in China began a continuous increase, ultimately overcoming patenting activity in all other countries since 2016. This upward trajectory has intensified into a sharp boom since 2022. This accelerated growth is largely attributed to the strong emergence and rapid proliferation of Chinese patent applicants, whose number soared from 20 active players in 2011 to more than 300 in 2024. Moreover, the most active IP players since 2023 have mainly been Chinese entities such as CATL, EVE Energy, Dynanonic, Gotion, BYD, SVOLT, ATL, Envision/AESC, Sunwoda, and Rongbay.

Figure 2: Time evolution of the number of patent assignees by headquarters region for patent related to LMFP cathode active material for Li-ion batteries. Insert: Breakdown of the Number of Patent Assignees by Headquarters Region in the LMFP Patent Landscape (as of July 2025).

The LMFP patent landscape also illustrates an ongoing redistribution of technological ownership, where pioneering Western IP assets are progressively absorbed by Asian industrial players. This shift underscores both the globalization and maturation of LMFP technology, positioning Asia (particularly China) as the new hub for LMFP innovation and large-scale manufacturing. The geographical polarization is clear: sellers are mostly Western historical players, while buyers are predominantly Asian industrials (mainly Chinese and Indian), seeking rapid scale-up and vertical integration. Early acquisitions (2010–2018) were mainly driven by Western chemical groups (e.g., Johnson Matthey, Clariant, Lithium Werks) acquiring specialized companies to reinforce their R&D, IP, and manufacturing capacities in phosphate-based cathode materials. In 2021–2023, a reverse trend of asset divestments appeared, with companies such as Johnson Matthey and Lithium Werks exiting the battery materials business and transferring their portfolios to new entrants from India willing to enter the phosphate cathode material landscape (e.g., Epsilon Carbon, Reliance New Energy). After 2020, there has been a clear acceleration of Chinese domestic patent transfers, often involving academic-to-industry IP migration, reflecting the maturation of China’s LMFP ecosystem.

How LMFP IP Leadership Has Been Redrawn Over the Years

“The analysis of the IP leadership on patents related to LMFP provides additional insights into the patenting activity of major players worldwide. The more the company combines a high number of granted patents with a high number of pending patent applications, the greater its IP leadership.”, explains Fleur Thissandier, PhD.

Click on the play icon in the graph below to interactively visualize the IP leadership evolution of main patent assignees in the LMFP patent landscape. Click on one or several IP players to visualize their IP leadership evolution across the years.

Click here to open Power BI.

The IP leadership of main patent assignees involved in LMFP patent landscape has evolved through several distinct phases.

Phase 1 – Foundational patent activity: Early patenting activity up to 2001 was driven by Canadian pioneers such as Hydro-Québec, the University of Montréal, alongside European players including CNRS, Valence Technology and Blue Solutions, and Japanese players such as NTT, GS Yuasa, Panasonic/Sanyo, Murata/Sony, and Denka.

Phase 2 – Emergence of clear IP leaders: By 2007, Hydro-Québec, Lithium Werks/Valence Technology, Murata/Sony, Toshiba, A123 Systems, and Johnson Matthey had established themselves as the dominant LMFP IP leaders. New patent assignees such as Samsung, Toyota, LG, BYD, Sumitomo Metal Mining, and SEL also emerged, progressively strengthening their IP positions.

Phase 3 – First turning point: Decline of a former IP leader and rise of other leaders: Around 2015–2016, Reliance/Lithium Werks began to lose its previously dominant role, while Samsung and LG witnessed a phase of rapid growth in granted patents, followed by Toshiba and Murata/Sony. In 2019, Global Graphene, BYD, and Taiheiyo Cement saw notable increases in granted patents, accompanied by a resurgence of Hydro-Québec.

Phase 4 – Second turning point: Thriving restructuration driven by new highly active players: the landscape shifted again in 2020 with the arrival of CATL, ATL, SAFT, I-TEN, General Motors, Svolt, and Dynanonic. Since 2020, CATL displayed a continuously expanding leadership IP position, surpassing other players in 2023 for pending patent applications, accelerating strongly in 2024 for granted patents, and reaching the top three by 2025. During this period, Johnson Matthey/Epsilon Carbon, SEL, Toshiba, CNRS, University of Montreal and Wanxiang A123 Systems began to decline, LG intensified its patenting activity while new Chinese challengers such as EVE, Sunwoda, Rongbay, Envison/AESC and Brunp gained visibility.

2025 Current IP Landscape – Consolidated IP leadership and accelerating IP competition: Nowadays, CATL is the front-runner with the highest number of granted patents and pending patent applications. LG Chem/LGES and Samsung also remain leaders but are at risk of being overtaken by CATL thanks to its very large pipeline of pending applications. Toshiba, Sumitomo Metal Mining, Murata/Sony, and Hydro-Québec maintain broad international patent portfolios within Top-10 in terms of number of granted patents. Toshiba and Sumitomo Metal Mining now show very few pending patent applications, reflecting a downturn in patenting over the last five years, while Murata/Sony and Hydro-Québec still keep a notable pending pipeline. In 2024, Sumitomo Metal Mining and Murata/Sony reached a phase of relative stabilization within this increasingly competitive IP landscape. Several players, including Taiheiyo Cement, Innolith/Alevo, Global Graphene, Epsilon Carbon / Johnson Matthey, Toyota, SEL, Capchem, and Wanxiang A123 Systems hold also mostly granted rights with few pending applications. BYD, ATL and I-TEN combine a notable number of granted and pending patent applications. I-TEN owns fewer families overall but with broader worldwide extensions. SVOLT, SAFT, EVE, Dynanonic, General Motors, and Brunp have more pending patent applications than granted patents, signaling their future growth. EVE and Dynanonic have sharply increased their patenting since 2023.

Domestic Strongholds vs. Worldwide Expansion in China’s LMFP Ecosystem

Chinese entities dominate numerically, with the largest number of active IP players in LMFP-related technologies. However, their rate of international patent extension remains limited. Only 14% of the 820 Chinese IP players extend their patents outside China to protect their inventions in key international markets. Among those that do, the proportion of patents extended abroad varies significantly. Most of Chinese entities, including Gotion, SVOLT, CALB, and Dynanonic, prioritize domestic patent filings, suggesting a strong focus on protecting their inventions in the domestic market rather than pursuing international expansion. On the contrary, some leading Chinese players, such as CATL, ATL Capchem, Wanxiang A123 Systems and Brunp, adopt an assertive global protection strategy, extending more than half of their patents outside China and covering many countries. This reflects their international ambitions. Others, including Easpring, EVE Energy, BYD and COSMX, extend a smaller share of their portfolios abroad, but when they do, these extensions target a broad geographic scope, ensuring protection in key regions such as North America, Europe, Japan and South Korea. Several Chinese companies (Hengtron, Capchem, Wanxiang A123 Systems, and Envision/AESC) have achieved wider geographic coverage indirectly, through acquisitions or integration of foreign IP portfolios.

Figure 4: Ranking of main Chinese patent assignees by number of patent families related to LMFP, split by extension strategy (China-only publications vs. extensions outside China).

Stay Up to Date by Keeping a Close Eye on the Fast-Moving Battery Landscape

The evolution of the Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) patent landscape highlights a profound transformation within the battery industry. Once driven by Western, Japanese and South Korean players, LMFP has become the arena of an unprecedented surge in Chinese innovation, marked by a sharp rise in active IP players, an expansive pipeline of new patents, and rapid industrial consolidation. This geographic and technological shift signals the emergence of China as the global center of gravity for LMFP development and manufacturing. As research continues to address conductivity, stability, and scale-up challenges, competition among patent holders is intensifying, making strategic patent intelligence more critical than ever for anticipating future market leaders. The next technological breakthroughs, industrial investments, and geopolitical alignments will determine which players convert this IP potential into market dominance. Patent activity in the battery sector is thriving and remains highly attractive across all levels of the supply chain, particularly in key areas such as NMC, LFP and LMFP cathodes, silicon anodes, and solid-state batteries. In this fast-paced and competitive landscape, gaining a deep understanding of the patent ecosystem and the strategies of various industry players is becoming increasingly crucial.

To address this need, KnowMade publishes in-depth reports and provides monitoring services to track and analyze competitors’ R&D and intellectual property strategies. These insights help identify the focus areas of industry leaders, emerging players, and start-ups, offering an early perspective on their strategic direction, technological investments, and product development efforts.

Press contact
contact@knowmade.fr
Le Drakkar, 2405 route des Dolines, 06560 Valbonne Sophia Antipolis, France
www.knowmade.com

About the author
Fleur Thissandier, PhD, works as Senior patent and technology analyst at KnowMade in the field of Materials Chemistry and Energy storage. She holds a PhD in Materials Chemistry and Electrochemistry from CEA/INAC, (Grenoble, France). She also holds a Chemistry Engineering Degree from the Superior National School of Chemistry (ENSCM Montpellier, France). Fleur previously worked in battery industry as R&D Engineer.

About KnowMade
KnowMade is a technology intelligence and IP strategy firm specializing in the analysis of patents and scientific publications. We assist innovative companies, investors, and research organizations in understanding the competitive landscape, anticipating technological trends, identifying opportunities and risks, improving their R&D, and shaping effective IP strategies.
KnowMade’s analysts combine their strong technology expertise and in-depth knowledge of patents with powerful analytics tools and methodologies to transform patent and scientific data into actionable insights to support decision-making in R&D, innovation, investment, and intellectual property.
KnowMade has solid expertise in Semiconductors and Packaging, Power Electronics, Batteries and Energy Management, RF and Wireless Communications, Photonics, MEMS, Sensing and Imaging, Medical Devices, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and Agri-Food.

SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France – 28 November, 2025 │ Technical insights and IP analysis of Stratus Materials’ LXMO™ breakthrough battery chemistry.

In a strategic move to advance next-generation battery technologies, Ampère, the electric-vehicle and software-dedicated subsidiary of Renault Group, has entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Stratus Materials, a US-based innovator in cobalt-free cathode materials (read more). Under the agreement, Stratus’s proprietary LXMO™ (Lithium Nickel Manganese Oxide) cathode active material will be evaluated in EV-format battery cells at Ampère’s newly inaugurated Battery Cell Innovation Lab in Lardy, France. The collaboration reflects Ampère’s three-phase battery strategy, initially leveraging NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) chemistries, then LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) from 2026, and now advancing toward high-energy, cobalt-free materials aimed at combining high energy density with lower cost, improved safety, and reduced reliance on critical raw-material supply chains.

Stratus Materials: A rapidly scaling startup on high-energy cathode materials

Stratus Materials Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States), was founded in early 2022 (formerly operating as 33 Tech Inc.) and positions itself in the battery value chain as a material manufacturer focused on advanced cathode active materials (CAM) for lithium-ion batteries (www.stratusmaterials.com). The company develops manganese-rich, cobalt-free “LXMO” / LMR cathodes intended for light- and medium-duty electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage applications. As a startup venture-backed pure-play, Stratus Materials has raised approximately US $15–29 million in its seed/Series A funding round, notably with participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures and DNS Capital. It is currently building a pilot production line targeting approximately 30 tons per year of CAM capacity, and in August 2025 announced that it had begun shipping its second-generation LXMO-2 material to customers and partners. In July 2024, multiple outlets report that LXMO-based pouch cells surpassed 1,000 full depth-of-discharge cycles while retaining >80% of initial capacity, using standard graphite anode and conventional electrolyte (read more).

“In this context, understanding the company’s intellectual property strategy becomes essential to evaluate its positioning and long-term competitiveness. Moreover, a closer look at Stratus Materials’ patent portfolio offers valuable insight into their underlying cobalt-free cathode technology.”, explains Fleur Thissandier, PhD, Senior Technology and Patent Analyst at KnowMade.

Stratus Materials holds a recent but global patent portfolio

Stratus Materials began its patent filings as soon as it was founded in 2022-2023, demonstrating the company’s significant innovation efforts and its intention to secure its technology. To date, Stratus Materials holds six patent families, comprising 31 individual patent applications (none granted yet, with 29 applications still pending). The company pursues a global IP strategy, extending its patent protection across multiple countries, not only in major regions such as the United States, Europe, China, Japan, and Korea, but also in India, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Taiwan.

Figure 1: Current legal status and geographical distribution of patents held by Stratus Materials.

Stratus’ patented technology: Doping, Microwave & Ultra-Rapid Quenching

Stratus Materials’ patent portfolio covers several specific high-energy density lithium-rich metal oxide (LRMO) cathode materials, often designed to be cobalt-free. These include layered lithium-rich nickel manganese oxides, represented by the formula Li[Ni_xLi_(1/3−2x/3)Mn_(2/3−x/3)]O₂, where 0<x<0.5 (patent application US20230015455). A subset of these patents focuses on materials characterized by the formula Li_x(Mn_yNi_1−y)_2−xO₂, where x is >1.05 and <1.25, and y ranges from 0.1 to 0.95 (US20250145493, US20230227327, EP4460854). Furthermore, patent applications US20240262709 and US20250145493 introduce substituted lithium-rich metal oxide (S-LRMO) materials, defined by Li[Li_xA_yM_z]O_b, where A comprises Na, K, Ca, or Mg at substitution levels exceeding conventional doping (y>0.05).

Figure 2: XRD patterns of pristine layered lithium rich nickel manganese oxide (LLRNMO) powders patented by Stratus Materials, extracted from US20230015455.

Stratus Materials’ patent portfolio focuses on advanced synthetic routes for high-energy density lithium-rich metal oxide (LRMO) cathode materials, specifically addressing the critical issue of structural instability induced by slow cooling. The unifying core methodology across these inventions is the implementation of ultra-rapid quenching (URQ), which involves arresting the material structure by cooling the sintered powder from high temperatures (typically ≥800^∘C) to a low quenching temperature (≤120^∘C or room temperature) in less than 500 milliseconds, achieving cooling rates of at least 1750^∘C/second. This rapid thermal processing is crucial to prevent undesirable changes to the crystal structure, such as oxygen losses and transition metal ion migration, which commonly degrade LRMO performance. Synthesis methods are refined through specialized engineering (US20240353178), such as using a tilted rotary furnace combined with a quick transfer conduit to ensure the powder remains hot (within 200^∘C of the sintering temperature) before hitting the quench fluid (e.g., water, potentially with additives like acids or carbohydrates). Alternative precursor formation techniques enhance homogeneity: precursors may be thermally decomposed using microwave radiation before sintering (US20230227327, EP4460854, US20240262709), which provides efficient volumetric heating, or by aerosolizing a precursor composition at 500^∘C to 900^∘C (US20250145493), a technique that also permits the recycling of gaseous species to improve efficiency and reduce chemical waste.

Figure 3: Overview of LRMO manufacturing methods patented by Stratus Materials.

The patented materials demonstrate superior electrochemical performance and stability. Key advantages include materials exhibiting high specific capacity, such as at least 230 mAh/g after 50 cycles, and S-LRMO materials capable of over 200 mAh/g (C/20 rate). Crucially, the URQ process stabilizes the materials, leading to excellent durability, evidenced by less than 10% capacity fade over 100 C/5 cycles, or even less than 5% capacity fade over 200 C/4 cycles, and low voltage decay (less than 10% loss in average discharge voltage after 100 or 200 cycles). These characteristics indicate that ultra-rapid quenching (URQ) effectively locks in the desired layered hexagonal and monoclinic crystal phases, stabilizing high-energy structures for practical battery applications.

Figure 4: Plots showing long term (320 cycles) cycle stability of sodium substituted S-LRMO material (Li1.081Na0.057 Mn0.652Ni0.21O2) patented by Stratus Materials, extracted from US20240262709.

LRMO: A complex but promising rival to LMFP for future Li-ion batteries

Lithium-rich metal oxide (LRMO) cathodes are emerging as a leading next-generation option thanks to their high specific capacities (≈250 mAh.g⁻¹) enabled by combined cationic and anionic redox, offering high energy density at lower material cost. Despite this promise, LRMOs face crucial commercial challenges, specifically low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE), poor rate capability, and rapid capacity and voltage decay, originating from irreversible structural degradation, lattice oxygen loss, transition metal migration and dissolution, and harmful interfacial side reactions triggered by high charging voltages. In contrast, LMFP, another cathode material envisioned for next generation of Li-ion batteries, is already scaling industrially. LMFP represents an incremental evolution of LFP through the incorporation of manganese to raise operating voltage and boost energy density by roughly 10-20%. LMFP retains the olivine structure, offering excellent thermal stability, long cycle life, and low cost, but its performance remains fundamentally constrained by the polyanionic framework, limiting practical energy density to intermediate levels suitable for mid-range EVs. Thus, LMFP offers near-term, cost-effective performance gains over LFP, while LRMO represents a high potential but technologically more complex long-term pathway for advanced EV batteries.

In this thriving context, KnowMade publishes in-depth reports and provides monitoring services to track and analyze competitors’ R&D and intellectual property strategies. These insights help identify the focus areas of industry leaders, emerging players, and start-ups, offering an early perspective on their strategic direction, technological investments, and product development efforts.

Press contact
contact@knowmade.fr
Le Drakkar, 2405 route des Dolines, 06560 Valbonne Sophia Antipolis, France
www.knowmade.com

About the author
Fleur Thissandier, PhD, works as Senior patent and technology analyst at KnowMade in the field of Materials Chemistry and Energy storage. She holds a PhD in Materials Chemistry and Electrochemistry from CEA/INAC, (Grenoble, France). She also holds a Chemistry Engineering Degree from the Superior National School of Chemistry (ENSCM Montpellier, France). Fleur previously worked in battery industry as R&D Engineer.

About KnowMade
KnowMade is a technology intelligence and IP strategy firm specializing in the analysis of patents and scientific publications. We assist innovative companies, investors, and research organizations in understanding the competitive landscape, anticipating technological trends, identifying opportunities and risks, improving their R&D, and shaping effective IP strategies.
KnowMade’s analysts combine their strong technology expertise and in-depth knowledge of patents with powerful analytics tools and methodologies to transform patent and scientific data into actionable insights to support decision-making in R&D, innovation, investment, and intellectual property.
KnowMade has solid expertise in Semiconductors and Packaging, Power Electronics, Batteries and Energy Management, RF and Wireless Communications, Photonics, MEMS, Sensing and Imaging, Medical Devices, Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, and Agri-Food.