Krypton

Krypton (Kr) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Krypton’s research intensity has fallen to about 25% of its all-time peak, a steady decline since the element’s high point in 1993.

Research intensity ran from about 41% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 25% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (1993) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, krypton has a mid-sized research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 1,313 in 2016 to about 1,789 in 2025 (1.36x). 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 even as its own count rose.

The literature is currently anchored by three distinct research communities. The largest is Krypton Propulsion and Diagnostics in Hall Thrusters, where krypton serves as a propellant and diagnostic tracer in magnetically shielded Hall thrusters, studied via techniques like laser-induced fluorescence and tagging velocimetry. Krypton is a minor presence in this much larger community—about 4% of its papers involve krypton—but it accounts for about 20% of krypton’s recent research, a share that has risen from 15% in the previous period. A key anchor is a 2023 study on the performance of low-power Hall effect thrusters with several gaseous propellants, cited about 32 times.

The second major area is Krypton Separation from Xenon in Porous Frameworks, focusing on selectively capturing krypton from xenon mixtures using hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks and other porous materials. Here, krypton is also a minor presence in the broader community—about 2% of its papers—but represents about 13% of krypton’s recent research, up from 8% previously. This field is home to the decade’s most cited paper: a 2017 review on gas/vapour separation using ultra-microporous metal–organic frameworks, cited over 1,300 times. More recent work includes a 2025 paper on nanospace engineering of metal–organic frameworks, cited about 46 times.

The third community is Krypton in Soft X-Ray and High-Harmonic Generation, investigating krypton as a medium for soft x-ray emission and high-order harmonic generation, with a focus on strong-field ionization dynamics. Krypton is a minor presence in this field—about 2% of its papers—but accounts for about 10% of krypton’s recent research, a share that has remained steady compared to the previous period. Notable work includes a 2017 paper providing experimental evidence for quantum tunneling time, cited over 210 times, and a 2024 study on Raman time-delay in attosecond transient absorption, cited about 18 times.

Overall, the composition of krypton research is shifting. The propulsion and gas separation communities are gaining share, while the soft x-ray community has held steady. The remainder of the literature, which includes smaller or emerging areas, has seen its combined share decline over the last two five-year periods.

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