Research Hotspots and Trends in the Corrosion and Protection of Cultural Relics

The critical need to preserve cultural relics has sustained longstanding interest in their corrosion and conservation, research vital to extending artifact lifespan and maintaining historical authenticity. Although scholarly output in this field grows annually, the expanding volume of literature makes it difficult to systematically identify research hotspots and forecast trends. This lack of clarity can lead to redundant efforts and hinder the practical application of preservation technologies. Existing reviews often focus on specialized subtopics, leaving a comprehensive overview lacking. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic bibliometric analysis of 4983 relevant publications from the WOS Core Collection (1961–2025). Through a multi-dimensional examination of annual publication trends, keyword co-occurrence, contributions from countries and authors, and institutional collaborations, we elucidate the field’s development and intellectual structure. Our findings reveal key research hotspots, including corrosion mechanisms, novel protective materials, micro-environmental control, and multidisciplinary detection methods, whose evolution shows distinct temporal patterns. Furthermore, an analysis of collaborative networks indicates that progress is increasingly driven by institutional and international cooperation, steering the field toward greater systematization and refinement.