A bibliometric analysis of global landscape and emerging frontiers of nanogels from 2000 to 2024

Nanogels are hydrogels embedded with nanoparticles. They have been increasingly applied in drug delivery, biomedical engineering and environmental remediation. At present, no bibliometric study has provided a comprehensive analysis of nanogels. This study aims to summarize the current development and future trends of nanogels publications through bibliometric analysis. Publications on nanogels from January 1, 2000, to August 1, 2024, were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded of the Web of Science Core Collection for further bibliometric analysis. We used VOSviewer and Bibliometrix to conduct the co-authorship analysis of countries/regions, institutions and authors, summarized the most productive contributors, and keywords co-occurrence analysis to identify research hotspots and future trends on nanogels. A total of 9,569 publications were included in this study. This study revealed an overall growth trend of nanogels, peaking in 2022 (n = 948). China was the most contributive country (n = 3785). The most productive institution was the Chinese Academy of Sciences (n = 335). Kazunari Akiyoshi (n = 112) was the most prolific author. A total of 230 keywords were grouped into five clusters: nanogels and drug delivery; crosslinking chemistry of nanogels; nanogels in water treatment and biodegradation; nanogels and scaffolds; and temperature and pH-responsive nanogels. Emerging research directions included the application of novel nanogels in drug delivery and biomedical fields. This study reveals the research trends, collaboration patterns, research hotspots, and emerging frontiers in nanogels research. These findings can provide researchers with a comprehensive understanding of nanogels research and offer guidance for future research directions.