The emergent dynamics of a technological research topic: the case of graphene

Technological research topics might enjoy dramatic increases in popularity, regardless of yet unclear commercialization prospects. The article analyzes the example of graphene, an advanced material, first demonstrated in 2004, which benefited from the visibility and expectations of policy makers, investors and R&D performers. The bibliometric analysis helps better understand the initial era of ferment in technology cycle, before graphene’s technical and commercial feasibility was confirmed. It offers insights into the underlying dynamics, which accompanies the topic’s emergence and the subsequent hype. Exponential growth in article counts is contrasted with decreasing citations per article and shares of highly-cited publications. The research field’s growing complexity is demonstrated by decomposing the discourse into publications concerning manufacturing graphene, its characterization and potential applications in non-electronics areas of health, environment and energy. Activities of publication outlets are traced, with a small number of journals accounting for the majority of publications and citations, and gradual increases in graphene’s presence in individual journals. International co-authorship patterns evolve over time, and while the network density and the average betweenness centrality of actors increase, the international concentration was found to follow a U-shaped pattern, initially promoting the field’s openness, but later making it less accessible, so that only some researchers benefit from this “window of opportunity”. The observed regularities follow a fashion-like pattern, with researchers joining the bandwagon to benefit from the topic’s popularity. The timing of entry into an emerging research field is important for maximizing the scientific impact of researchers, institutions, journals and countries.