Chromium

Chromium (Cr) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Chromium’s research intensity stands at about 59% of its all-time peak, a level that has steadily declined over the last decade.

Research intensity ran from about 65% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 59% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (1973) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, chromium has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 16,278 in 2016 to about 39,528 in 2025 (2.43x). 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 research community is Chromium Removal and Reduction in Wastewater Treatment, which accounts for about 27% of the element's recent research. This community focuses on adsorbing and chemically reducing hexavalent chromium ions from aqueous wastewater streams, with distinctive work on chromium adsorption and removal from aqueous solutions. Chromium is one strand of a broader community, as about 13% of its papers involve chromium. Its share has been declining, dropping from about 34% in the earlier period to its current level. A key paper in this area is "Chromium contamination and effect on environmental health and its remediation: A sustainable approaches" (2021), cited over 770 times, alongside more recent work like "Adsorption of heavy metals on natural zeolites: A review" (2023), cited over 470 times.

A second significant community is High-Chromium Cast Irons for Wear and Corrosion, holding about 11% of recent research. These papers examine high-chromium white cast irons and cobalt-chromium alloys, specifically their microstructure, carbide formation, and resistance to wear and corrosion. Here, chromium is a minor presence in a much larger community, with only about 3% of its papers involving chromium. The share of this community has remained steady, moving slightly from about 10% to its current level. Notable work includes "Corrosion of Metallic Biomaterials: A Review" (2019), cited over 950 times, and "Molybdenum effects on the stability of passive films unraveled at the nanometer and atomic scales" (2024), cited over 100 times.

The third material community is Chromium Toxicity and Stress in Plant Physiology, comprising about 10% of recent research. This group examines chromium uptake, hexavalent toxicity, and oxidative stress responses in crops like maize and contaminated soils. Chromium is a minor presence in this much larger community, with about 2% of its papers involving chromium. Its share has been steady, rising slightly from about 7% to its current level. A standout recent paper is "Global soil pollution by toxic metals threatens agriculture and human health" (2025), cited over 840 times, which also appears in the list of the window's most-cited papers.

Overall, the composition of chromium research has shifted slightly away from wastewater treatment and toward plant physiology, while the cast iron community has held steady. The remaining 52% of research is spread across other smaller communities. For a deeper look at chromium’s current standing, see the Last 12 Months report.