Bromine

Bromine (Br) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Research intensity stands at about 51% of bromine's all-time peak, a level well below its historical high point in 1955.

Research intensity ran from about 41% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 51% in 2026 — a net rise with setbacks along the way, and the all-time peak (1955) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, bromine has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 28,515 in 2016 to about 44,087 in 2025 (1.55x). That is slower than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element lost ground in the wider body of research even as its own count rose.

The largest material community for bromine is Bromide Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes and Quantum Dots, where the element appears in bromide-based perovskite nanocrystals and single crystals for light-emitting diodes. Bromine is a minor presence in this much larger community, with about 6% of its papers involving bromine. This community accounts for about 12.7% of bromine's recent research, a steady share compared to the previous period. A 2019 paper in Science on efficient, stable solar cells using the inherent bandgap of α-phase formamidinium lead iodide, cited over 1,200 times, anchors this area, alongside a 2024 Science study on nuclei engineering for even halide distribution in stable perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, cited over 190 times.

A second significant community is Bromide Substrates in Photoredox and Cross-Electrophile Coupling, where bromine serves as alkyl and aryl bromide substrates in photoredox catalysis. Here, bromine is also a minor presence, involved in about 3% of the community's papers. It represents about 7.1% of bromine's recent research, holding steady from the previous period. A 2021 review in CCS Chemistry on recent applications of homogeneous catalysis in electrochemical organic synthesis, cited over 610 times, is a key reference, as is a 2022 Accounts of Chemical Research paper on reductive cross-coupling of unreactive electrophiles, cited over 280 times.

The third material community is Bromate Formation and Reduction in Disinfection Byproduct Control, focusing on bromide oxidation to bromate during water disinfection and methods to reduce resulting levels. Bromine is a minor presence here as well, with about 6% of the community's papers involving the element. This community holds about 4.8% of bromine's recent research, a steady share relative to its previous standing. A 2021 Environmental Science & Technology paper on peroxydisulfate activation and singlet oxygen generation, cited over 520 times, is a notable contribution, along with a 2023 critical review on bromate formation during ozonation, cited over 150 times.

Overall, the composition of bromine's research remains stable, with the perovskite and catalysis communities maintaining their shares while the water treatment sector holds a consistent, smaller portion. The remaining 75.3% of research falls into other, smaller communities that do not individually meet the threshold for detailed discussion.

For a deeper look at bromine's current standing, explore the element's Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.