Technetium

Technetium (Tc) — 10-Year Trends

As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years

Research intensity has fallen to about 29% of the element’s own all-time peak, a level reached after a steady decline from 49% in 2016, with the all-time peak occurring in 1999, outside this window.

Research intensity ran from about 49% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 29% in 2026 — a steady decline, and the all-time peak (1999) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements fell. Among the 118 elements, technetium has a mid-sized research literature.

The number of papers involving the element rose from about 2,110 in 2016 to about 2,934 in 2025 (1.39x). 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 technetium’s recent research, about 40%, belongs to the community focused on Technetium-99m for Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping. These papers use Tc-99m radiotracers to identify and biopsy sentinel lymph nodes in cancer surgery, a specific application distinct from the broader community’s focus on systemic radionuclide therapy. Technetium is a minor presence in this much larger community, involved in about 7% of its papers. The share of technetium research in this area has remained steady, holding at about 40% of the element’s recent work. A key paper in this space is "Radiopharmaceuticals for PET and SPECT Imaging: A Literature Review over the Last Decade" (2022), cited over 330 times, which reviews the evolving landscape of these imaging agents.

A growing segment of the literature, now about 21% of technetium’s recent research, focuses on Technetium Pyrophosphate Imaging for Transthyretin Amyloidosis. This work uses technetium-99m pyrophosphate scintigraphy to diagnose transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis, helping distinguish it from other cardiomyopathies. While technetium is a minor presence in the broader cardiac imaging community (about 6% of papers), its role in this specific diagnostic subfield is critical. This community’s share has risen from about 15% to 21% over the window. The most cited paper in this area is "Nonbiopsy Diagnosis of Cardiac Transthyretin Amyloidosis" (2016), cited over 2,000 times, which established the non-invasive diagnostic protocol that defines this field. More recently, "Cardiac amyloidosis detection from a single echocardiographic video clip: a novel artificial intelligence-based screening tool" (2025), cited about 41 times, highlights the integration of AI with these imaging techniques.

The third material community, accounting for about 11% of technetium’s recent research, is Technetium Immobilization in Nuclear Waste Treatment. These papers focus on removing pertechnetate from aqueous nuclear waste streams using activated carbon, metal-organic frameworks, and photocatalytic reduction. Technetium is a minor presence in the broader waste treatment community (about 5% of papers), but this subfield is dedicated to its specific chemical challenges. The share of research here has remained steady at about 11%. A representative recent study is "Creation of Cationic Polymeric Nanotrap Featuring High Anion Density and Exceptional Alkaline Stability for Highly Efficient Pertechnetate Removal from Nuclear Waste Streams" (2024), cited about 57 times, which details new materials for this purpose.

Overall, the composition of technetium research has shifted slightly, with the amyloidosis imaging community gaining share while the sentinel lymph node and waste treatment communities have held steady. The remaining 27% of research is distributed across other smaller communities. For a deeper look at the element’s current standing, see the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.