Cobalt

Cobalt (Co) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years

Cobalt’s research intensity stands at about 35% of its all-time peak, a level that has remained essentially flat over the last decade while its share of global scientific attention has risen.

Research intensity ran from about 34% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 35% in 2026 — essentially flat across the window, and the all-time peak (1980) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, cobalt has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 19,019 in 2016 to about 49,357 in 2025 (2.6x). That is faster than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element gained ground in the wider body of research.

The core of cobalt’s recent literature is defined by three distinct research communities. The largest is Cobalt Oxide and Phosphide Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution, where cobalt serves as a minor presence in a much larger community—about 10% of its papers involve cobalt. This group focuses on cobalt oxide, phosphide, and sulfide compounds as active sites for the oxygen evolution reaction in water splitting. It holds about 11.5% of the element's recent research, a steady share compared to the previous period. A key anchor is a 2023 Science paper on La- and Mn-doped cobalt spinel oxygen evolution catalysts, cited over 810 times, alongside a 2024 study on water-hydroxide trapping in cobalt tungstate, cited over 470 times.

The second major community is Cobalt Oxide and Sulfide Electrodes for Hybrid Supercapacitors. Here, cobalt is one strand of a broader community—about 10% of its papers involve cobalt—focusing on cobalt oxide, sulfide, and layered double hydroxide materials as active electrodes in asymmetric and hybrid supercapacitor devices. This community accounts for about 7.1% of recent cobalt research, maintaining a steady share. Notable work includes a 2024 Small paper on transition metal oxides-based core–shell structures for boosted energy density supercapacitors, cited over 210 times.

The third material community is Cobalt Photoredox and Enantioselective Catalysis. In this field, cobalt is a minor presence in a much larger community—about 4% of its papers involve cobalt—distinct from the dominant cross-coupling reactions. These papers focus on cobalt as a photoredox catalyst and in enantioselective transformations. It represents about 5.2% of the element's recent research, a steady share. A significant contribution is a 2023 Science paper on enantioselective electrochemical cobalt-catalyzed aryl C–H activation reactions, cited over 290 times.

The remaining approximately 76% of cobalt research is distributed across other communities, holding a steady share over the window. The most-cited paper of the window, a 2025 Science article on global soil pollution by toxic metals, belongs to the community "Plant Responses to Heavy Metal Contamination and Abiotic Stress," which is not among the three primary material communities listed above.

For a deeper look at cobalt’s current standing, see the element’s Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.