As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Copernicium’s research intensity has recovered to about 99% of its all-time peak, a high point reached within this ten-year window.
Research intensity ran from about 68% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 99% in 2026 — a mid-window dip followed by a recovery, and the all-time peak (2026) falls inside this window. The trajectory shows a distinct dip in the middle of the period, with the lowest point occurring around 2018, before climbing steadily to the current high. Among the 118 elements, copernicium has one of the smaller research literatures of any element.
The number of papers involving the element fell from about 22 in 2016 to about 14 in 2025 (0.64x). 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.
The core of copernicium research remains anchored in the Synthesis and Decay of Superheavy Elements and Heavy-Ion Collision Physics community. This group focuses on the creation and behavior of superheavy nuclei, with distinctive work on element synthesis, sequential fission, and synthesis reactions. Copernicium is a minor presence in this much larger community, appearing in about 1% of its papers. It holds about 83% of copernicium’s recent research share, a position that has remained steady over the last decade. Key work includes a 2023 paper in Nature Communications titled "Colliding heavy nuclei take multiple identities on the path to fusion," cited about 25 times, and a 2024 study in Frontiers in Chemistry on relativistic effects in chemical properties, cited about 19 times.
A second significant area is Actinide Chemistry and Nuclear Fuel Materials, where copernicium is also a minor presence, involved in under 1% of the community's papers. This community accounts for about 6% of copernicium’s recent research, a share that has held steady. Research here explores the element's chemical behavior, such as a 2021 paper in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics describing stable copernicium hexafluoride, cited about 5 times, and a 2016 study in the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry on valence states, cited about 11 times.
Emerging activity is seen in Superfluid Helium, Noble Gas Physics, and Cryogenic Engineering. While copernicium is a minor presence here (under 1% of papers), its share of the element’s research has risen from zero to about 6% over the window. This includes a 2025 theoretical study in The Journal of Physical Chemistry B on structural correlations in copernicium and mercury-potassium alloys, cited once. Conversely, the share of research linked to Silicon-Germanium Quantum Devices and Laser-Structured Surfaces has declined to zero, having previously held about 6% of the element's work.
The window’s most-cited paper, "Entrance channel dependent hot fusion reactions for superheavy element synthesis" (2020), cited about 58 times, belongs to the synthesis community and underscores the continued focus on nuclear reaction dynamics.
For a deeper look at copernicium’s current standing, see the 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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