Flerovium

Flerovium (Fl) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Flerovium’s research intensity has recovered to about 99% of its own all-time peak, a high point reached within this ten-year window.

Research intensity ran from about 77% 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. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. The dip is visible in the early-to-mid 2020s, with intensity falling to roughly 60% of the peak by 2025 before the sharp rise in 2026. Among the 118 elements, flerovium has one of the smaller research literatures of any element.

The number of papers involving the element fell from about 31 in 2016 to about 22 in 2025 (0.71x). 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 flerovium’s recent literature belongs to the research community focused on Flerovium Synthesis and Decay in Superheavy Element Research. This group of papers concentrates on the nuclear synthesis reactions, alpha decay chains, and fission dynamics specific to flerovium isotopes, often discussing concepts like "island stability" and "decay chains." Flerovium is a minor presence in this much larger community, with under 1% of its papers involving the element. However, this community accounts for about 69% of flerovium’s recent research, a share that has declined from about 81% in the earlier period. A key paper from this area is "Toward the Discovery of New Elements: Production of Livermorium ( Z = 116 ) with Ti 50" (2024), cited about 57 times. Another significant work, "First experiment at the Super Heavy Element Factory: High cross section of Mc 288 in the Am 243 + Ca 48 reaction and identification of the new isotope Lr 264" (2022), has been cited about 71 times.

A second, smaller community is emerging, characterized by work on "one fold, parameters zero, theory everything." Flerovium is central to this community, with about 89% of its papers involving the element. This community represents a rising share of the element's research, growing from 0% to about 13% in the current period. The anchor paper here is "Smithium: Element 126 and the Island of Stability, Forced by the Nuclear Magic Numbers" (2026), cited about 8 times.

A third community, Dark Matter, Neutrino Physics, and Compact Object Astrophysics, holds a steady but small share of about 2% of the element's recent research. Flerovium is a minor presence here, with under 1% of the community's papers involving it. The single paper in this group, "The Radioactive Elements in the Atmosphere of HD25354—Are They the Result of the Symmetric Decay of the Chemical Elements of the Island of Stability?" (2024), has not yet been cited.

Overall, the composition of flerovium’s research is shifting. The dominant community focused on synthesis and decay is losing share, while the theoretical community centered on "one fold, parameters zero, theory everything" is gaining ground. The remainder of the literature, comprising other smaller communities, holds about 16% of the element's recent research.

For a deeper look at the current state of flerovium research, see the element's Last 12 Months report.