Plutonium

Plutonium (Pu) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Plutonium research intensity currently sits at about 20% of the element's own all-time peak, a level well below the 1964 high that lies outside this window.

Research intensity ran from about 26% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 20% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (1964) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, plutonium has a mid-sized research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 1,879 in 2016 to about 2,434 in 2025 (1.3x). 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 bulk of recent plutonium research belongs to three distinct communities, all of which have held steady shares over the last decade. The largest is Plutonium in Mixed Oxide and Nitride Fast Reactor Fuels, which accounts for about 38% of the element's recent research. This community focuses on MOX and uranium-plutonium nitride fuel performance, neutron multiplicity, and minor actinide management in fast reactor systems. Plutonium is a minor presence in this much larger community, appearing in about 9% of its papers. A key recent contribution is a 2025 paper on optimal neutron spectrum databases for in-reactor Pu-238 production, cited about 28 times.

The second major community is Plutonium Separation and Forensics in Nuclear Fuel Cycles, representing about 25% of recent research. This work centers on actinide separation, spent fuel reprocessing, and forensic analysis of plutonium isotopes. Here, plutonium is also a minor presence, involved in about 10% of the community's papers. The most cited work in this area is a 2018 study on technetium remediation by a cationic polymeric network, cited over 350 times, which sits within the broader context of nuclear fuel cycle chemistry.

The third community, Plutonium Separation and Purification in Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing, holds about 13% of the element's recent research. These papers focus on solvent extraction and nitric acid processing to separate plutonium from uranium and neptunium. Plutonium is a minor presence here as well, involved in about 4% of the community's papers. A notable recent paper on separating americium from PUREX raffinate, published in 2023, has been cited about 71 times.

Overall, the composition of plutonium research has remained stable, with no single community gaining or losing significant share. The remaining 24% of research is distributed among smaller, specialized areas.

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