As of 2026-09-11 · the last 10 years
Research intensity stands at about 93% of the element’s all-time peak, a level maintained since the peak year of 2009 fell outside this window.
Research intensity ran from about 89% of the element's own all-time peak in 2016 to about 93% in 2026 — flat overall, with some movement in between, and the all-time peak (2009) lies before this window. Over the same span its share of research attention across all elements rose. Among the 118 elements, ytterbium has a larger-than-average research literature.
The number of papers involving the element rose from about 1,343 in 2016 to about 2,780 in 2025 (2.07x). 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 research community is Ytterbium-Doped Fiber Lasers and Amplifiers, where papers focus on ytterbium-doped fiber oscillators, amplifiers, and co-doped systems for high-power and ultrafast laser generation. Ytterbium is a minor presence in a much larger community — about 5% of its papers involve ytterbium. This community accounted for about 29% of the element's recent research, a decline from about 40% in the previous period. A key anchor is a 2017 paper on polarization-maintaining fiber laser architecture, cited over 310 times, alongside a 2024 review of recent developments in fiber lasers, cited about 49 times.
The second major area is Ytterbium Silicate Environmental Barrier Coatings, investigating the corrosion behavior and water vapor resistance of plasma-sprayed ytterbium disilicate and monosilicate coatings. Ytterbium is a minor presence in a much larger community — about 1% of its papers involve ytterbium. This community held a steady share of about 8% of the element's recent research, up slightly from about 5%. A 2016 study on the response of ytterbium disilicate to thermal cycling in water vapor, cited over 430 times, anchors this work, as does a 2024 comprehensive study on resistance against molten calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicate, cited about 49 times.
Third is Ytterbium Sensitization of Erbium Luminescence, studying ytterbium as a sensitizer for erbium in co-doped core-shell structures. Ytterbium is a minor presence in a much larger community — about 1% of its papers involve ytterbium. This community’s share was steady at about 4% of the element's recent research, down slightly from about 6%. A 2020 Nature Photonics paper on NIR II-responsive photon upconversion, cited over 370 times, is a central reference, joined by a 2025 JACS paper on size-dependent upconversion luminescence, cited about 41 times.
The remainder of the literature, comprising about 58% of recent research, is rising in share compared to the previous period’s 49%. This indicates a broadening of ytterbium’s application across diverse fields beyond these three core areas.
For a deeper look at the current standing of ytterbium research, consult the Last 12 Months and Executive Brief reports.
What changed in the past year: new papers, shifting applications, emerging collaborators. See the momentum over a shorter window than the decade view.
Personal →See recent trends — Personal.
A by-topic status read of what changed and what's new — built for decision-makers, not search engines. Citation clusters, emerging applications, and the papers that matter most.
Professional →See the executive read — Professional.
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Showing Ytterbium's three strongest connections. Personal opens the slider and the whole 118-element graph.