Bridging technology and market: A global patent-based framework for identifying key technologies in electrochemical energy storage

Electrochemical energy storage (EES) has emerged as a critical technology for sustainable energy. Its diverse technological branches with unique mechanisms and applications, complicate key technology identification. While market value offers a unified metric for evaluating heterogeneous technologies, traditional approaches emphasize technical features, often neglecting the technology-market relationship. A comprehensive understanding of the relationship is essential for effective key technology identification that warrants investment and development in EES. Therefore, this study proposes a patent-based technology identification framework that bridges technology and market value in the EES domain, integrating text mining and statistical analysis. It extracts technical features through topic modeling, refines them via ordered logistic regression incorporating patent family-derived market value, and identifies key technologies through affinity propagation clustering. This framework analyzes 1,034,987 global patents to identify 40 key technologies with high market value, and assesses their maturity using growth curve analysis. Notable high-market-value advances include cell structure optimization, novel electrode current collectors, and battery integration, while emerging trends feature solid-state and polymer electrolytes designed to enhance ionic conductivity. Few technologies exhibit high market value at early or late stages. Global EES competition is increasingly polarized. Japan dominates middle and late stage with strengths in high-value technologies, while China leads in early-stage breakthroughs. Alongside the United States, South Korea and the European Union, they drive the EES innovation. This study provides strategic guidance for targeted innovation and investment, revealing global EES dynamics and opportunities for market leadership.