Two Decades' advancements and Research trends in needle-type Sensor technology: A scientometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Environmental Science, Geosciences

Background:

• Needle-type sensors are increasingly vital due to their portability, sensitivity, and rapid response.
• Applications span medical, healthcare, environmental monitoring, and geosciences.
• A comprehensive review is needed to guide future research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scientometric analysis of needle-type sensor research.
• To identify publication trends, key contributors, and research hotspots.
• To predict future research frontiers and trends.

Main Methods:

• Scientometric analysis of 136,667 publications from Web of Science Core Collection (2004-2024).
• Analysis of annual trends, journals, institutions, countries, disciplines, authors, references, and keywords.
• Identification of current research hotspots and future trends.

Main Results:

• Significant growth in needle-type sensor research over the past two decades.
• Identification of leading journals, institutions, and countries in the field.
• Three major research hotspots: multidisciplinary materials science, sensor miniaturization and integration, and biomedical engineering.

Conclusions:

• Future research should focus on biocompatible materials for enhanced sensing.
• Optimizing sensor structure through miniaturization and integration is crucial.
• Improving clinical applications in biomedical engineering represents a key future direction.