1 Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
2 Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
3 Key Laboratory of Knowledge Computation and Decision Intelligence of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
4 Department of Information Resources Management, School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
[Objective/Significance] Scientifically identifying high-value patents in the flow battery field and analyzing their development trends are critical for supporting strategic decision-making and technological layout of innovation entities. [Method/Process] Based on a multi-dimensional patent value evaluation framework encompassing technical, legal, market, economic, and strategic dimensions, this study identifies high-value patents in the flow battery field. Subsequently, using patentometric analysis, it examines the technological development dynamics from the perspectives of application trends, competitive landscape, innovation actors, and key technologies.[Results/Conclusions] The number of flow battery patent applications has increased rapidly; however, the growth in patent quantity has not been fully translated into sustained high-quality innovation output. China demonstrates strong innovation activity as a major application market, while the United States and Japan maintain advantages in core technological innovation and patent quality. High-value patents are mainly concentrated in key materials, battery systems, and battery structural design. Future development of flow batteries is expected to move toward cost reduction, higher energy density, and intelligent system integration.
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