Oxygen

Oxygen (O) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Research intensity has held steady at roughly 40% of the element’s all-time peak, a level that has remained consistent since the window began.

Research intensity ran from about 44% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 40% in 2026 — essentially flat across the window, and the all-time peak (1989) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, oxygen has one of the largest research literatures of any element.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 202,375 in 2016 to about 471,493 in 2025 (2.33x). 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 core of oxygen research in this period is defined by three distinct communities. The largest is Oxygen Vacancies and Lattice Dynamics in Electrocatalysis, which accounts for about 22% of the element’s recent research. This community investigates how oxygen vacancies and lattice oxygen participation enhance electrocatalytic activity for oxygen evolution and reduction reactions. Oxygen is one strand of a broader community here, with about 25% of its papers involving oxygen. This area has seen a rising share of attention, growing from 15.4% in the earlier period to its current level. A foundational paper in this space, "Combining theory and experiment in electrocatalysis: Insights into materials design" (2017), has been cited over 12,000 times, while recent work like "Tantalum-stabilized ruthenium oxide electrocatalysts for industrial water electrolysis" (2025) has been cited over 470 times.

A second major area is Oxygen Evolution and Peroxide Synthesis Catalysts, representing about 17% of recent research. These papers focus on electrocatalytic oxygen evolution, peroxide production, and single-atom or organic framework catalysts. Oxygen is one strand of a broader community, with about 30% of its papers involving oxygen. Its share has remained steady, hovering around 16–18% across the two five-year periods. Key contributions include "Active sites of nitrogen-doped carbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction clarified using model catalysts" (2016), cited over 4,200 times, and more recent work such as "A Janus dual-atom catalyst for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction and evolution" (2024), cited over 320 times.

The third significant community is Reactive Oxygen Species and Clinical Oxygen Delivery, which makes up about 12% of the element’s recent research. This group examines reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial stress alongside high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy. Oxygen is one strand of a broader community, with about 23% of its papers involving oxygen. Its share has remained steady, though it has slightly decreased from 16.5% to 12.1% over the window. Notable papers include "Reactive oxygen species (ROS) as pleiotropic physiological signalling agents" (2020), cited over 5,200 times, and "Mitochondria in oxidative stress, inflammation and aging: from mechanisms to therapeutic advances" (2025), cited over 760 times.

Overall, the composition of oxygen research has shifted slightly toward electrocatalysis and away from reactive oxygen species, though the latter remains a substantial portion of the field. The remaining 49% of research is distributed across other communities, including atmospheric chemistry and heavy metal toxicity, which have maintained a steady presence.

For a deeper look at the current state of oxygen research, including the last 12 months of activity and executive summaries, consider reviewing the element’s current-standing reports.