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Topic · Environmental Chemistry

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research is a research topic within Environmental Chemistry. Science Explorer counts 10k research works in it since 1951. 10.1% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the environmental contamination, global distribution, monitoring, and toxicological findings of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). It explores their sources, fate, transport, bioaccumulation, and potential health effects on humans and wildlife. The papers also discuss exposure pathways, biological monitoring, and the presence of PFASs in various environmental compartments.

  • Perfluoroalkyl Substances
  • Polyfluoroalkyl Compounds
  • PFASs
  • Environmental Contamination
  • Toxicological Findings
  • Global Distribution
  • Health Effects
  • Exposure Pathways
  • Biological Monitoring
  • Wastewater Treatment
Research works
10k
fractional, since 1951
In the world top 10%
1k
per year above
Top-10% rate
10.1%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+103%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
39% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research

Which countries lead Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (1.4k and 1.3k works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 1.4k works
  2. 2 United States 1.3k works
  3. 3 Australia 140 works
  4. 4 Italy 138 works
  5. 5 Germany 131 works
  6. 6 Canada 129 works
  7. 7 Sweden 104 works
  8. 8 India 101 works
  9. 9 South Korea 91 works
  10. 10 France 84 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: 38.9%United States: 36.2%Australia: 3.8%Italy: 3.8%6 others listed: 17.4%39%largest
China1,428 · 38.9%United States1,330 · 36.2%Australia140 · 3.8%Italy138 · 3.8%6 others listed640 · 17.4%

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

Which institutions lead Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research research?

By volume in 2022-now, Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes the most Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research research, followed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 96 works
  2. 2 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States 42 works
  3. 3 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 40 works
  4. 4 Nankai UniversityChina 33 works
  5. 5 Tongji UniversityChina 33 works
  6. 6 Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States 29 works
  7. 7 Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFrance 24 works
  8. 8 Sun Yat-sen UniversityChina 24 works
  9. 9 Hohai UniversityChina 23 works
  10. 10 Harvard UniversityUnited States 21 works

Who are the leading researchers in Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research?

The most-cited researchers publishing on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research include Rob Knight, Cyrus Cooper and Wei Huang.

  1. 1 Rob Knight United States 468k citations
  2. 2 Cyrus Cooper United Kingdom 342k citations
  3. 3 Wei Huang China 267k citations
  4. 4 Ben Zhong Tang China 261k citations
  5. 5 Kai You Wang China 224k citations
  6. 6 Guangming Zeng China 204k 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 Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research?

The most cited paper in Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research is "Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment: Terminology, classification, and origins" (Robert C. Buck, James M. Franklin, Urs Berger et al., 2011), with 4,612 citations. Next come "PAHs in the Fraser River basin: a critical appraisal of PAH ratios as indicators of PAH source and composition" (4,315) and "A review of the pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and present understanding of health effects" (2,803).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment: Terminology, classification, and origins Robert C. Buck, James M. Franklin, Urs Berger et al. · Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Open access 26 Jul 2011 4,612
2 PAHs in the Fraser River basin: a critical appraisal of PAH ratios as indicators of PAH source and composition Mark Bernard Yunker, Robie W. Macdonald, Roxanne Vingarzan et al. · Organic Geochemistry Apr 2002 4,315
3 A review of the pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and present understanding of health effects Elsie M. Sunderland, Xindi C. Hu, Clifton Dassuncao et al. · Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology Open access 23 Nov 2018 2,803
4 Global Distribution of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate in Wildlife John Paul Giesy, Kurunthachalam Kannan · Environmental Science & Technology Mar 2001 2,761
5 Perfluoroalkyl Acids: A Review of Monitoring and Toxicological Findings Christopher S. Lau, Katherine Anitole, Colette S. Hodes et al. · Toxicological Sciences 22 May 2007 2,607
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research research done?

The largest centres of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Nanjing (China), Shanghai (China) and Guangzhou (China).

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 273 works
  2. 2 NanjingChina 117 works
  3. 3 ShanghaiChina 115 works
  4. 4 GuangzhouChina 104 works
  5. 5 HangzhouChina 73 works
  6. 6 Washington D.C.United States 61 works
  7. 7 WuhanChina 57 works
  8. 8 TianjinChina 57 works
  9. 9 SeoulSouth Korea 44 works
  10. 10 Chapel HillUnited States 42 works
See Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research on the map

Where is the best place to study Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research?

Among universities, judged by research, Nankai University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Tongji University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%mean 16.43%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →New Jersey Institute…Colorado School of M…Tongji UniversityNankai University
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.

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
1Nankai UniversityChina 73.314.9%12.3×33 +60.6%
2New Jersey Institute of TechnologyUnited States 71.722.0%29.1×13 +688.8%
3Tongji UniversityChina 70.215.2%5.4×33 +175.2%
4Colorado School of MinesUnited States 70.116.3%34.7×17 +91.9%
5Stockholm UniversitySweden 67.812.0%14.7×20 +59.0%
6University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States 67.321.5%3.9×13 +191.3%
7Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesSweden 64.017.9%21.0×13 -6.5%
8Université de MontréalCanada 63.322.9%4.3×10 +153.0%
9The University of QueenslandAustralia 61.213.5%4.0×15 +140.2%
10Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 60.98.1%3.6×40 +66.6%

Universities only. The score blends 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 Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research, country by country

Is Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 103% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research.

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 Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.018% in 2024.

still counting0.010%0.020%0.030%Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research0.022% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research 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%Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research9.9% 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.

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