Neodymium

Neodymium (Nd) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Neodymium’s research intensity currently sits at about 92% of its all-time peak, a level reached in 2020 within this window.

Research intensity ran from about 88% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 92% in 2026 — a rise to a mid-window peak followed by a fall back, and the all-time peak (2020) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements held steady. Among the 118 elements, neodymium has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 123,097 in 2016 to about 228,306 in 2025 (1.85x). 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 largest share of neodymium’s recent research belongs to work on sintered magnet manufacturing and recycling. This community focuses on the metallurgy of sintered NdFeB magnets, specifically coercivity enhancement, corrosion resistance, and the recovery of neodymium from spent magnet materials. Neodymium is one strand of a broader community, with about 12% of its papers involving the element. It holds a steady share of about 22% of the element's recent research. A key anchor is the 2023 Critical Materials Strategy, cited over 480 times, which underscores the industrial importance of these materials.

A second major area is neodymium in monazite geochronology and desert provenance. These papers use neodymium to date monazite and zircon, and to trace the source of heavy minerals in Egyptian desert deposits. Neodymium is a minor presence in a much larger community, with about 5% of its papers involving the element. This community is declining, dropping from about 26% to about 21% of the element's research over the window. Notable work includes a 2024 Science paper on Chang’e-6 lunar samples, cited over 140 times, and a 2016 standards paper on geochronology, cited over 1,000 times.

A smaller but steady community involves the neodymium-doped YAG laser for posterior capsulotomy. These papers focus on using neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers to treat posterior capsule opacification following cataract surgery. Neodymium is a minor presence in a much larger community, with about 4% of its papers involving the element. It holds a steady share of about 7% of the element's recent research. Relevant work includes a 2022 Cochrane review on laser therapy for scars, cited about 96 times.

Overall, the composition of neodymium research has shifted slightly away from geochronology and toward magnet recycling, while the remainder of the literature—comprising about 50% of the element's research—remains steady. The most-cited paper of the window, Rare-Earth-Doped Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers (2026), cited over 810 times, belongs to a community not detailed in the main roster but highlights the element’s continued role in optical technologies.

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