Tantalum

Tantalum (Ta) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-25 · the last 10 years

Tantalum’s research intensity currently sits at about 28% of its all-time peak, a level reached in 1965, well before this ten-year window began.

Research intensity ran from about 36% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 28% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (1965) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, tantalum has a mid-sized research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 3,093 in 2016 to about 6,158 in 2025 (1.99x). 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 research communities defining this element's recent work are primarily focused on materials engineering and medical applications. The largest named group, Tantalum Oxide and Nitride Thin Film Deposition, accounts for about 10% of the element's recent research. These papers focus on the physical deposition of tantalum oxide and nitride layers for use as dielectrics and conductors in electronic devices, with distinctive work on tantalum pentoxide and magnetron sputtering. Tantalum is a minor presence in a much larger community, comprising about 6% of its papers. A key anchor here is a 2017 study on argon ion sputtering of tantalum pentoxide, cited over 300 times, alongside a 2024 paper on electronic tattoos and memristors, cited about 99 times. The share of this community has remained steady over the window.

A second major area is Porous Tantalum for Joint Replacement and Bone Repair, representing about 9% of recent research. This community focuses on porous tantalum implants and scaffolds used in hip and knee arthroplasty and for repairing bone defects, with distinctive phrases including "porous tantalum" and "total hip." Tantalum is a minor presence in this broader biomaterials community, involved in about 3% of its papers. The field is anchored by a 2023 review on metallic materials for bone repair, cited over 180 times, and a 2021 study on bioactive glasses, cited over 210 times. This community’s share has also held steady.

Finally, Tantalum Scaffolds and Additive Manufacturing makes up about 8% of the element's recent research. These papers focus on producing porous tantalum scaffolds and pure tantalum parts using electron beam and laser powder bed fusion, with distinctive work on "pure tantalum" and "beam powder." Tantalum is a minor presence in this additive manufacturing community, involved in about 1% of its papers. A notable 2023 paper on osteogenesis in trabecular tantalum scaffolds was cited over 140 times. This is the only named community showing a slight rise in share, moving from 6% to 8% of the element's research.

The remainder of the element's literature, comprising about 73% of recent research, is distributed across other smaller communities. Overall, the composition of tantalum research has remained stable, with no single community dominating or rapidly expanding its share of the element's total output.

For a deeper look at the current standing of tantalum research, including the last 12 months of activity and executive summaries, consult the element's current-standing reports.