Silver Halides as Strategic Functional Materials: Resource Potential and Technological Evolution (1975-2025).

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Background:

• Silver halides (AgCl, AgBr, AgI) are multifunctional materials with tunable properties.
• Advances in materials design have highlighted their versatility in crystallography, stability, and composition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate global research trends and interdisciplinary development of silver halides.
• To identify emerging application areas through bibliometric analysis.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 23,841 publications (1975-2025) from Web of Science.
• Utilized CDPI, TELM, VOSviewer, and Excel for evaluating publication growth, disciplinary integration, and thematic evolution.
• Keyword co-occurrence analysis to identify research domains.

Main Results:

• Research output surged post-2005, with 700-1000 publications annually (2020-2025).
• China and the US lead contributions; Chinese Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, and CNRS show high impact.
• Strongest interdisciplinary integration in Materials Science, Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry; Nanoscience and Nanotechnology show fastest growth.
• Six research domains identified: environmental remediation, catalysis, crystal growth, antibacterial materials, interfacial processes, and electroanalytical systems.
• Recent focus on structure-property relationships and synthetic control for enhanced photocatalysis, sensing, antimicrobial coatings, and optical applications.

Conclusions:

• Silver halides are increasingly important strategic functional materials.
• The study provides a quantitative framework for future research and technological development in silver halide applications.
• Future research should consider a broader range of databases beyond Web of Science.