Silicon

Silicon (Si) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Silicon’s research intensity stands at about 71% of its own all-time peak, a level reached after a steady decline from a high of 96% in 2016.

Research intensity ran from about 96% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 71% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (2013) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, silicon has one of the largest research literatures of any element.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 110,481 in 2016 to about 193,759 in 2025 (1.75x). 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 largest share of silicon’s recent research belongs to the community focused on Silicon Heterojunction and Thin-Film Photovoltaic Device Engineering. This work centers on silicon wafers, silicon nitride, and monocrystalline silicon structures for photovoltaic applications. Silicon is central to this community, with about 34% of its papers involving the element. It holds about 15% of silicon’s recent research, a share that has remained steady compared to the previous period. A key anchor is a 2023 Nature Energy paper on silicon heterojunction solar cells with up to 26.81% efficiency, cited over 700 times.

A second major area is Silicon Waveguides and Microring Resonators in Integrated Photonics. These papers focus on silicon waveguides, microring resonators, and optical phased arrays for integrated photonic platforms. Silicon is one strand of a broader community, with about 13% of its papers involving silicon. This community accounts for about 11% of silicon’s recent research, a steady share. A 2024 Nature Communications paper titled "Roadmapping the next generation of silicon photonics" is a notable recent contribution, cited over 810 times.

The third material community is Silicon Anode Engineering for Lithium-Ion Batteries. Here, silicon serves as a high-capacity anode material, often modified with carbon composites and porous structures to manage volume expansion. Silicon is one strand of a broader community, with about 14% of its papers involving silicon. This area represents about 7% of silicon’s recent research, a steady share. A 2020 Sustainable Energy & Fuels review on graphite and silicon oxide composites for lithium-ion anodes is a foundational text, cited over 1,200 times.

Overall, the composition of silicon’s research has remained stable across the two five-year periods. The three named communities—photovoltaics, photonics, and battery anodes—have all maintained steady shares of the element’s literature. The remainder of the research, comprising other smaller communities, holds about 66% of silicon’s recent work, a share that has risen slightly.

For a deeper look at silicon’s current standing, see the Last 12 Months report or the Executive Brief.