Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
Topic · Biomaterials

biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties is a research topic within Biomaterials. Science Explorer counts 73k research works in it since 1950. 9.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the development, synthesis, properties, and applications of biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoates. It covers topics including sustainable polymers, tissue engineering materials, ring-opening polymerization, biomedical applications, nanocomposites, and the production of green plastics.

  • Biodegradable Polymers
  • Polylactic Acid
  • Polyhydroxyalkanoates
  • Sustainable Polymers
  • Tissue Engineering Materials
  • Ring-Opening Polymerization
  • Biomedical Applications
  • Nanocomposites
  • Green Plastics
  • Polyester Synthases
Research works
73k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
7.2k
per year above
Top-10% rate
9.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+37%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
42% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties

Which countries lead biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties research?

By volume, China and India publish the most (4.9k and 1.7k works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 4.9k works
  2. 2 India 1.7k works
  3. 3 United States 1.2k works
  4. 4 Germany 596 works
  5. 5 Italy 554 works
  6. 6 Brazil 533 works
  7. 7 Japan 532 works
  8. 8 Spain 504 works
  9. 9 France 496 works
  10. 10 South Korea 481 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 42.3%India: 15.0%United States: 10.6%Germany: 5.2%6 others listed: 26.9%42%largest
China4,874 · 42.3%India1,732 · 15.0%United States1,220 · 10.6%Germany596 · 5.2%6 others listed3,100 · 26.9%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties research?

By volume in 2022-now, Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes the most biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties research, followed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Russian Academy of Sciences.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 317 works
  2. 2 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 213 works
  3. 3 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 153 works
  4. 4 Sichuan UniversityChina 119 works
  5. 5 Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyChina 89 works
  6. 6 Qingdao University of Science and TechnologyChina 84 works
  7. 7 Jiangnan UniversityChina 75 works
  8. 8 South China University of TechnologyChina 72 works
  9. 9 Zhejiang UniversityChina 71 works
  10. 10 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasSpain 70 works

Who are the leading researchers in biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties?

The most-cited researchers publishing on biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties include Zhong Lin Wang, Róbert Langer and Wei Huang.

  1. 1 Zhong Lin Wang United States 491k citations
  2. 2 Róbert Langer United States 303k citations
  3. 3 Wei Huang China 267k citations
  4. 4 Ben Zhong Tang China 261k citations
  5. 5 Xiaogang Wang China 260k citations
  6. 6 Patrizio Lancellotti Belgium 245k citations
  7. 7 Dennis W. Dickson United States 237k citations

Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.

What are the most cited papers in biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties?

The most cited paper in biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties is "Polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites: a review from preparation to processing" (Suprakas Sinha Ray, Masami Okamoto, 2003), with 6,798 citations. Next come "Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) as Biodegradable Controlled Drug Delivery Carrier" (4,766) and "Biodegradable polymers as biomaterials" (4,397).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Polymer/layered silicate nanocomposites: a review from preparation to processing Suprakas Sinha Ray, Masami Okamoto · Progress in Polymer Science 17 Oct 2003 6,798
2 Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) as Biodegradable Controlled Drug Delivery Carrier Hirenkumar K. Makadia, Steven J. Siegel · Polymers Open access 26 Aug 2011 4,766
3 Biodegradable polymers as biomaterials Lakshmi S. Nair, Cato T. Laurencin · Progress in Polymer Science 12 Jun 2007 4,397
4 Biodegradable and bioactive porous polymer/inorganic composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering Kurosch Rezwan, Q.Z. Chen, Jonny James Blaker et al. · Biomaterials Mar 2006 3,841
5 Microplastics in freshwater and terrestrial environments: Evaluating the current understanding to identify the knowledge gaps and future research priorities Alice A. Horton, Alexander Walton, David J. Spurgeon et al. · The Science of The Total Environment Open access 4 Feb 2017 3,757
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties research done?

The largest centres of biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Nanjing (China) and Hangzhou (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Bayreuth.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 823 works
  2. 2 ShanghaiChina 318 works
  3. 3 NanjingChina 272 works
  4. 4 HangzhouChina 232 works
  5. 5 GuangzhouChina 229 works
  6. 6 SeoulSouth Korea 193 works
  7. 7 QingdaoChina 191 works
  8. 8 MoscowRussia 189 works
  9. 9 TehranIran 175 works
  10. 10 ChengduChina 167 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. BayreuthDE · 36.8 works11×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties than the world average.

See biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties on the map

Where is the best place to study biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties?

Among universities, judged by research, China Agricultural University, Northwest A&F University and Beijing Forestry University score highest, combining citation excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 22.72%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →China Agricultural U…Northwest A&F Univer…East China Normal Un…Beijing Forestry Uni…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Citation excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1China Agricultural UniversityChina 68.830.5%2.7×23 +171.1%
2Northwest A&F UniversityChina 67.326.9%4.2×25 +137.6%
3Beijing Forestry UniversityChina 62.920.5%9.0×40 +68.0%
4East China Normal UniversityChina 61.826.6%2.2×16 +62.8%
5Colorado State UniversityUnited States 61.832.8%2.5×14 +59.9%
6Nankai UniversityChina 58.927.7%2.5×27 +72.2%
7Beijing University of Chemical TechnologyChina 57.98.9%13.4×89 +23.2%
8Jiangsu UniversityChina 57.626.9%2.0×24 +93.1%
9Jiangnan UniversityChina 57.39.4%8.2×75 +75.8%
10National University of SingaporeSingapore 57.217.0%1.4×26 +98.4%

Universities only. The score blends citation excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties, country by country

Is biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 37% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.081% in 2024.

still counting0.050%0.10%biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties0.079% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties9.9% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties. Keep it to the research: no personal attacks, advertising or links. Any reader can report a post, which collapses it for everyone until it is opened.