Platinum

Platinum (Pt) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Platinum’s research intensity has settled at about 85% of its own all-time peak, a level it reached just inside this ten-year window in 2017.

Research intensity ran from about 99% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 85% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (2017) falls inside this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, platinum has a larger-than-average research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 38,836 in 2016 to about 77,696 in 2025 (2.0x). 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 largest share of recent platinum research belongs to the community focused on platinum chemotherapy and resistance in ovarian cancer. These papers examine platinum-based chemotherapy regimens, the development of drug resistance, and clinical outcomes in epithelial ovarian cancer, with distinctive work on platinum complexes and recurrent ovarian cases. Platinum is one strand of a broader community, with about 16% of its papers involving platinum. This group accounts for a significant share of the element's recent research, a steady share compared to the previous period. A key anchor is a 2018 study on maintenance olaparib in advanced ovarian cancer, cited over 2,800 times, alongside a 2024 trial on pembrolizumab in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, cited over 490 times.

A second major area is platinum catalysis for PEM fuel cell electrocatalysis. This research centers on platinum nanoparticles and catalysts for methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction in polymer electrolyte membranes. Platinum is one strand of a broader community, with about 15% of its papers involving platinum. It represents about 11% of the element's recent research, holding steady from the earlier period. The field is anchored by a 2016 review on electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, cited over 3,900 times, and a 2021 Science paper on sulfur-anchoring synthesis of platinum intermetallic nanoparticle catalysts, cited over 880 times.

The third material community involves platinum chemotherapy for advanced urothelial and lung cancer. These are clinical trials of platinum-based regimens for first-line and recurrent metastatic urothelial carcinoma and small-cell lung cancer, often characterized by phase III trials and advanced urothelial patients. Platinum is one strand of a broader community, with about 17% of its papers involving platinum. This group holds about 9% of the element's recent research, a steady share relative to the prior period. The most cited work here is a 2016 trial comparing pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy for non–small-cell lung cancer, cited over 10,000 times, while a 2024 study on enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab in untreated advanced urothelial cancer, cited over 1,000 times, represents the current high-impact direction.

Across these communities, the composition of platinum research has remained stable, with no single group gaining or losing significant share. The remaining 51% of the element's research is distributed among other, smaller communities.

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