As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Research intensity has settled at about 72% of lead’s all-time peak, a level that has been slowly declining since the window began.
Research intensity ran from about 81% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 72% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (1975) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements held steady. Among the 118 elements, lead has a larger-than-average research literature.
The number of papers involving the element rose from about 537,165 in 2016 to about 1,341,994 in 2025 (2.5x). 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 bulk of lead’s recent research belongs to a single dominant field: Lead in Iodide Perovskite Solar Cell Architecture. Here, lead serves as the primary cation in iodide perovskite absorbers, with work focused on thin-film stability, transport layers, and lead-free alternatives. Lead is one strand of a broader community, with about 22% of its papers involving the element. This community accounts for about 56% of lead’s recent research, a share that has remained steady compared to the previous period. A 2017 paper on iodide management in perovskite layers, cited over 5,400 times, anchors this field, alongside a 2024 study on charge extraction in inverted cells, cited over 1,300 times.
A second significant area is Lead Zirconate Titanate Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting. These papers focus on PZT thin films and ceramics for piezoelectric energy harvesting, alongside lead-free alternatives. Lead is one strand of a broader community, with about 13% of its papers involving the element. This community holds about 9.5% of lead’s recent research, also steady over the window. Key work includes a 2021 review on electroceramics for high-energy density capacitors, cited over 1,300 times, and a 2024 paper on ultrahigh energy storage in high-entropy ceramics, cited over 440 times.
The third material community is Lead Exposure and Blood Levels in Public Health. These papers track blood lead concentrations and chronic exposure risks from drinking water, contamination, and battery sources. Lead is a minor presence in a much larger community, with about 9% of its papers involving the element. This area represents about 4.7% of lead’s recent research, steady compared to the prior period. A 2021 paper on the toxic mechanisms of heavy metals, cited over 3,100 times, and a 2022 update on pollution and health, cited over 2,000 times, define this field.
The remaining roughly 30% of lead’s research is distributed across other smaller communities. The overall composition of lead’s literature has remained stable, with no single community gaining or losing significant share over the last decade.
For a deeper look at lead’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.
Personal →See recent trends — Personal.
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.
Professional →See the executive read — Professional.
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Showing Lead's three strongest connections. Personal opens the slider and the whole 118-element graph.