Recent study in MDPI’s Sustainability journal utilizes scientometric analysis to map the interdisciplinary research on geopolymer composites, revealing key trends and insights
In a recent study published in Sustainability, an MDPI journal, titled Sustainability of Green Building Materials: A Scientometric Review of Geopolymers from a Circular Economy Perspective, authors used data from Dimensions to review the uses of geopolymer composite (GPC), a sustainable alternative to traditional building materials like cement. They analysed the bibliometric data on GPCs to examine its development for construction applications within the context of circular economy and as an emerging green building material. These types of ‘scientometric’ analysis allow researchers to understand how research is funded, communicated, commercialized, and makes an impact in the world.
The authors of the above-mentioned study selected Dimensions because they wanted to include multiple elements in their research, in particular because geopolymer research is interdisciplinary in nature. “Dimensions database is particularly suitable for this research purpose, considering the transversality and interdisciplinarity of geopolymers in different research areas such as engineering, geology, chemistry, economics, and architecture,” they write. The authors searched the database for the keywords “geopolymer,” “circular economy,” and “green building materials” before filtering and analysing the results.
The paper presents publication trends for each keyword separately, for pairs of keywords and then the intersection of the three since 2000. It identifies an increasing trend on the topic of geopolymers as green building materials. The study is also able to visualise the network of publication sources for research with the keywords and the top journals with at least 10 documents within that network.
In addition, the authors were able to use the data to identify geographical locations with expertise in the fields, highlighting clusters with the largest being in China, the UK, the US, and Australia. Finally, they looked at the academics publishing in the field, listing one with 17 outputs, another with 13, and four more researchers with 12 publications in the investigated area. They write that: “It indicates that the topic of geopolymers from a circular economy perspective requires transversal expertise involving different research groups.”
“Our scientometric analysis was conducted based on a bibliometric dataset retrieved from one of the most innovative and larger scientific databases, Dimensions,” they write. The authors conclude that the research helps identify gaps in the field and where research aligns with market demand. The findings can be useful for policymakers regulating building materials as well as for teams looking at investment in R&D.
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