As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Bromine’s research intensity currently sits at about 26% of its own all-time peak, a level that has remained essentially flat over the last decade.
Research intensity ran from about 23% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 26% in 2026 — essentially flat across the window, 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 bulk of bromine's recent research is concentrated in three distinct areas, each where the element plays a supporting role in a larger field. The largest community, Bromide Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes and Quantum Dots, accounts for about 20% of the element's recent research and has remained steady in share. Here, bromine is a minor presence in a much larger community, with only about 4% of its papers involving bromine. The work focuses on bromide-based perovskite nanocrystals and single crystals for light-emitting diodes, distinct from the community's primary focus on solar cells. Key papers in this area include a 2019 study on stable solar cells using the inherent bandgap of α-phase formamidinium lead iodide, cited over 1,200 times, and a 2024 paper on nuclei engineering for even halide distribution in stable perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, cited over 190 times.
The second major area is Bromate Formation and Reduction in Disinfection Byproduct Control, which holds about 7% of the element's recent research. This share has been steady, though it was slightly higher in the previous period. Bromine is again a minor presence, involved in about 5% of the community's papers. These studies track bromide oxidation to bromate during water disinfection and evaluate methods to reduce resulting bromate levels, a critical concern in water treatment. A notable paper in this field, published in 2021 on peroxydisulfate activation for contaminant degradation, has been cited over 520 times.
The third community, Brominated Flame Retardants in E-Waste Recycling, represents about 5% of the element's recent research and has also remained steady. Bromine is a minor presence here as well, involved in about 5% of the community's papers. This research analyzes brominated flame retardants like TBBPA in printed circuit boards and electronic equipment during pyrolysis and waste processing. A 2021 paper on chemically recyclable thermoplastics from reversible-deactivation polymerization, cited over 470 times, is a key reference in this area.
Overall, the composition of bromine's research has remained stable, with the perovskite community holding the largest share and the water treatment and e-waste communities maintaining consistent, smaller portions of the literature. The remainder of the research, accounting for about 68% of the element's work, is spread across other smaller communities.
For a deeper look at bromine's current standing and recent developments, see the element's Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.
What changed in the past year: new papers, shifting applications, emerging collaborators. See the momentum over a shorter window than the decade view.
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