Boron

Boron (B) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years

Boron’s research intensity sits at about 62% of its own all-time peak, a level that has remained essentially flat over the last decade while the element’s share of attention across all elements has risen.

Research intensity ran from about 61% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 62% in 2026 — essentially flat across the window, and the all-time peak (1969) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, boron has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 24,788 in 2016 to about 56,361 in 2025 (2.27x). That matches the growth of the literature as a whole over the same years: the general tide of scientific output, not a surge specific to the element.

The largest material community is Hexagonal Boron Nitride and Phase Change Materials for Thermal Management and Energy Storage. This group focuses on boron nitride nanosheets, nitride nanotubes, and molecular dynamics simulations for thermal management. Boron is central to this community, with about 52% of its papers involving the element. It accounts for about 26% of boron’s recent research, a share that has declined from about 35% in the previous period. A 2021 review in Advanced Materials on the structure and properties of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride, cited over 860 times, anchors this field, alongside recent work on self-healing nanocomposites cited over 100 times.

A second distinct area is Boron Carrier Chemistry and Head-Neck Cancer Therapy. These papers develop boron clusters and compounds for delivery to head and neck tumors. Boron is one strand of a broader community, with about 27% of its papers involving the element. This community holds about 6% of boron’s recent research, a steady share compared to the prior period. A 2024 review in Chemical Reviews on the rise of boron-containing compounds in medicinal chemistry, cited over 360 times, is a key reference here, as is a 2024 Nature paper on boron catalysis in a designer enzyme, cited about 82 times.

Finally, Boron Nutrition and Toxicity in Crop Physiology examines boron deficiency and toxicity effects on crop growth, often alongside zinc interactions. Boron is a minor presence in this much larger community, with only about 4% of its papers involving the element. It represents about 4.5% of boron’s recent research, a steady share. A 2024 paper in Frontiers in Plant Science on the role of boron and its interaction with other elements in plants, cited over 130 times, illustrates this agricultural focus.

Overall, the composition of boron research is shifting. The Hexagonal Boron Nitride community has lost share, while the "Other research communities" band—which includes diverse applications in photonics and materials—has gained share, rising from about 55% to about 63% of the element's clustered research. This suggests a broadening of boron’s role beyond its traditional strongholds in thermal management and specific medical applications.

For a deeper look at boron's current standing, see the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.