Iridium

Iridium (Ir) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Iridium’s research intensity has declined from its all-time peak, which occurred in 2016, to about 81% of that peak by 2026.

Research intensity ran from about 99% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 81% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (2016) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, iridium has a mid-sized research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 4,197 in 2016 to about 9,304 in 2025 (2.22x). 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 dominant research community is Iridium Oxide Catalysts for Acidic Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis, a subcommunity within the broader field of electrocatalysts for water splitting. These papers focus on iridium oxide and nanoparticles as oxygen evolution catalysts in acidic media, specifically for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers. Iridium is a minor presence in this much larger community, appearing in about 6% of its papers. However, this community accounts for about 23% of iridium’s recent research, a share that has risen from about 14% in the previous period. A key anchor is a 2022 paper in Nature Materials on non-iridium-based electrocatalysts for durable acidic oxygen evolution, cited over 990 times, which highlights the ongoing effort to find alternatives to iridium. More recently, a 2025 Science paper on tantalum-stabilized ruthenium oxide electrocatalysts, cited over 470 times, continues this theme of developing stable, industrial-scale catalysts.

A second major community is Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Substitution. Here, iridium complexes drive enantioselective allylic alkylation and substitution, a distinct mechanistic class from the cross-coupling reactions that dominate the broader transition-metal-catalyzed synthesis field. Iridium is a minor presence in this community as well, involved in about 3% of its papers. This community represents about 16% of iridium’s recent research, a share that has remained steady compared to the previous period. A notable 2021 review in Chemical Society Reviews on visible light-activated radical coupling reactions, cited over 510 times, underscores the importance of iridium in photoredox chemistry.

The third material community is Cyclometalated Iridium Complexes for Blue Phosphorescence. This work involves designing heteroleptic and cationic iridium complexes with specific ancillary ligands to achieve blue phosphorescence in organic light-emitting diodes. Iridium is one strand of a broader community of luminophore design, appearing in about 16% of its papers. This community accounts for about 14% of iridium’s recent research, also steady compared to the previous period. A 2019 Science paper on eliminating nonradiative decay in Cu(I) emitters, cited over 680 times, provides context for the broader push toward efficient phosphorescent materials, while a 2022 Chemical Reviews article on luminescent complexes of platinum, iridium, and coinage metals, cited over 230 times, details the structural diversity of these iridium-based systems.

Overall, the composition of iridium research has shifted toward electrocatalysis, with the share of work on iridium oxide catalysts rising significantly, while the shares of asymmetric synthesis and phosphorescent complexes have remained stable. The remaining 47% of iridium research is distributed among other smaller communities.

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