Fluorine

Fluorine (F) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years

Fluorine is currently at 100% of its all-time peak research intensity, a high point reached within this specific decade.

Research intensity ran from about 58% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 100% in 2026 — a net rise with setbacks along the way, and the all-time peak (2026) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, fluorine has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 51,096 in 2016 to about 116,992 in 2025 (2.29x). 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 most prominent area of recent work is PFAS Detection, Removal, and Environmental Fate in Water Systems. This community focuses on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, water contamination, and risk assessment. Fluorine is central to this community, as about 64% of its papers involve the element. Its share of fluorine’s recent research has risen significantly, from about 7% in the earlier period to about 20% now. Key work includes "An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)" (2020), cited over 2,400 times, and "Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment" (2022), cited over 2,000 times.

A second major area is PVDF-Based Piezoelectrics for Energy Harvesting and Membrane Separation. This research involves PVDF membranes, flexible piezoelectric materials, and nanogenerators. Fluorine is central here as well, appearing in about 31% of the community's papers. Its share of fluorine research has remained steady at about 16%. A notable recent contribution is "Smart and Multifunctional Materials Based on Electroactive Poly(vinylidene fluoride)" (2023), cited over 440 times.

Fluorinated Polymer Electrolytes for Solid-State Batteries represents a smaller but stable segment. These papers focus on polyvinylidene fluoride and other fluorinated polymers as solid or gel electrolytes for lithium-ion transport. Fluorine is a minor presence in this broader battery community, involved in about 4% of its papers, though it accounts for about 7% of fluorine’s own research. This share has been steady. Important work includes "Guidelines and trends for next-generation rechargeable lithium and lithium-ion batteries" (2020), cited over 2,200 times, and "Self-assembled monolayers direct a LiF-rich interphase toward long-life lithium metal batteries" (2022), cited over 960 times.

Finally, Fluorine Introduction into Drug Discovery Molecules covers nucleophilic fluorination and strategies to install fluorine into pharmaceutical compounds. Fluorine is one strand of this broader synthetic community, involved in about 24% of its papers. However, its share of fluorine’s total research has declined from about 17% to about 7%. A key reference is "An Update on the Nitrogen Heterocycle Compositions and Properties of U.S. FDA-Approved Pharmaceuticals (2013–2023)" (2024), cited over 940 times.

Overall, the composition of fluorine research has shifted toward environmental and materials applications, with the PFAS community gaining substantial share while drug discovery synthesis has lost relative ground. The remainder of the literature, comprising about 49% of recent work, has remained steady.

For a deeper look at the current state of fluorine research, see the Last 12 Months report or Executive Brief.