As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Nihonium’s research intensity currently sits at about 98% of its own all-time peak, a peak that falls inside this ten-year window.
Research intensity ran from about 31% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 98% in 2026 — a net rise with setbacks along the way, and the all-time peak (2026) falls inside this window. The trajectory is described as an uneven climb, reflecting fluctuations in attention levels over the decade. Among the 118 elements, nihonium has one of the smaller research literatures of any element.
The number of papers involving the element rose from about 10 in 2016 to about 24 in 2025 (2.4x). 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 vast majority of nihonium research belongs to the community of Synthesis and Decay of Superheavy Elements and Heavy-Ion Collision Physics. This group focuses on the creation of superheavy nuclei and the study of their decay, with nihonium appearing as a minor presence in this much larger community—under 1% of its papers involve nihonium. However, this community accounts for about 94% of nihonium’s recent research, a share that has risen from 86% in the previous period. The work is characterized by themes of element synthesis and chemical homology. A key anchor in this field is a 2024 study in Frontiers in Chemistry on the manifestation of relativistic effects in the chemical properties of nihonium and moscovium, cited about 19 times. Another significant contribution is a 2023 paper in Nature Communications on colliding heavy nuclei, cited about 25 times.
A smaller, emerging area of interest is Wide-Bandgap Semiconductors for Power Electronics and Ultraviolet Optoelectronics. Here, nihonium is also a minor presence, with under 1% of community papers involving the element. Yet, its share of nihonium-specific research has grown from zero to about 6% in the current period. This connection is highlighted by a 2025 paper in Calphad on the thermodynamic properties of nihonium nitride, cited once.
Conversely, the community of Actinide Chemistry and Nuclear Fuel Materials has seen a decline in its share of nihonium research, dropping from about 10% to zero. While nihonium remains a minor presence in this field, the shift indicates a consolidation of nihonium research away from actinide contexts. A notable paper from this earlier period is a 2019 entry in The Periodic Table: A Very Short Introduction, cited about 35 times.
Overall, the composition of nihonium research has consolidated heavily around superheavy element synthesis, with a minor but growing interest in semiconductor applications, while connections to actinide chemistry have faded.
For a deeper look at the element's current standing, see the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.
What changed in the past year: new papers, shifting applications, emerging collaborators. See the momentum over a shorter window than the decade view.
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A by-topic status read of what changed and what's new — built for decision-makers, not search engines. Citation clusters, emerging applications, and the papers that matter most.
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