Molybdenum

Molybdenum (Mo) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Molybdenum’s research intensity is currently at about 96% of its all-time peak, a level reached within this ten-year window.

Research intensity ran from about 66% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 96% in 2026 — a net rise with setbacks along the way, and the all-time peak (2024) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, molybdenum has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 14,464 in 2016 to about 38,658 in 2025 (2.67x). That is faster than the literature as a whole grew over the same years, so the element gained ground in the wider body of research.

The largest share of molybdenum’s recent research belongs to Molybdenum Disulfide in Atomically Thin Transistor Devices. This community focuses on synthesizing and integrating monolayer molybdenum disulfide into field-effect transistors and van der Waals heterostructures, with distinctive work on thin films and atomically thin structures. Molybdenum is one strand of a broader community, with about 20% of its papers involving molybdenum. It accounts for about 25% of the element's recent research, a steady share compared to the previous period. A 2025 paper on the electronic properties of graphene encapsulated with two-dimensional atomic crystals, cited over 340 times, anchors this area, alongside a 2024 study on fatigue-resistant ferroelectrics, cited over 240 times.

The second major area is Molybdenum Sulfide and Carbide Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution. Here, researchers develop molybdenum sulfide, carbide, and phosphide compounds as non-precious catalysts to enhance hydrogen evolution efficiency. Molybdenum is a minor presence in this much larger community, appearing in about 8% of its papers. It represents about 8% of molybdenum’s recent research, holding steady from the prior period. A 2024 review on precious metal-free hydrogen evolution catalysts, cited over 480 times, is a key reference, as is a 2023 Nature paper on phase-dependent platinum growth on molybdenum disulfide, cited over 450 times.

A smaller but distinct community is Molybdenum Carbide and Sulfide Catalysts for Desulfurization. These papers focus on molybdenum carbide, oxide, and disulfide materials as heterogeneous catalysts for fuel desulfurization. Molybdenum is a minor presence in this community, which is largely focused on biodiesel production, with about 7% of its papers involving molybdenum. This area accounts for about 2% of the element's recent research, a steady share. A 2025 review on catalytic production of aviation jet biofuels, cited about 57 times, highlights this application.

Overall, the composition of molybdenum research has remained stable, with the named communities holding their shares while the remainder of the literature, which includes other smaller groups, has slightly increased its relative weight. For a deeper look at the current standing of molybdenum research, see the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.