skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Scalable Synthesis Methods for High‐Entropy Nanoparticles
High‐entropy materials (HEMs) represent a revolutionary class of materials that have garnered significant attention in the field of materials science due to their extraordinary properties in diverse fields of applications such as catalysis and electrochemistry. The past decade has witnessed a substantial increase in the study of these materials, exploring new synthesis routes and compositions. What began as the synthesis of high‐entropy alloys has expanded to encompass several classes of HEMs such as oxides, hydroxides, sulfides, nitrides, and carbides, among others. Several synthesis methods have been developed to produce these materials. This review therefore highlights the fundamental concepts of HEMs, including their core effects, with a major emphasis on their scalable synthesis routes. The advantages and drawbacks of these methods are also discussed. As HEMs transition from the lab to large‐scale production, there is a growing need for cost‐effective and scalable synthesis methods with high material yield suitable for a variety of applications like hydrogen storage, catalysis, batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Hence, this review serves as an introduction to scalable synthesis routes based on crystal structure, desired elements, synthesis times, and equipment costs.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2334386
PAR ID:
10502687
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research
Volume:
5
Issue:
8
ISSN:
2699-9412
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. High-entropy materials (HEMs) constitute a revolutionary class of materials that have garnered significant attention in the field of materials science, exhibiting extraordinary properties in the realm of energy storage. These equimolar multielemental compounds have demonstrated increased charge capacities, enhanced ionic conductivities, and a prolonged cycle life, attributed to their structural stability. In the anode, transitioning from the traditional graphite (372 mAh g−1) to an HEM anode can increase capacity and enhance cycling stability. For cathodes, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) can be replaced with new cathodes made from HEMs, leading to greater energy storage. HEMs play a significant role in electrolytes, where they can be utilized as solid electrolytes, such as in ceramics and polymers, or as new high-entropy liquid electrolytes, resulting in longer cycling life, higher ionic conductivities, and stability over wide temperature ranges. The incorporation of HEMs in metal–air batteries offers methods to mitigate the formation of unwanted byproducts, such as Zn(OH)4 and Li2CO3, when used with atmospheric air, resulting in improved cycling life and electrochemical stability. This review examines the basic characteristics of HEMs, with a focus on the various applications of HEMs for use as different components in lithium-ion batteries. The electrochemical performance of these materials is examined, highlighting improvements such as specific capacity, stability, and a longer cycle life. The utilization of HEMs in new anodes, cathodes, separators, and electrolytes offers a promising path towards future energy storage solutions with higher energy densities, improved safety, and a longer cycling life. 
    more » « less
  2. null (Ed.)
    The emergence of high-entropy materials (HEMs) with their excellent mechanical properties, stability at high temperatures, and high chemical stability is poised to yield new advancement in the performance of energy storage and conversion technologies. This review covers the recent developments in catalysis, water splitting, fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, and hydrogen storage enabled by HEMs covering metallic, oxide, and non-oxide alloys. Here, first, the primary rules for the proper selection of the elements and the formation of a favorable single solid solution phase in HEMs are defined. Furthermore, recent developments in different fields of energy conversion and storage achieved by HEMs are discussed. Higher electrocatalytic and catalytic activities with longer cycling stability and durability compared to conventional noble metal-based catalysts are reported for high-entropy materials. In electrochemical energy storage systems, high-entropy oxides and alloys have shown superior performance as anode and cathode materials with long cycling stability and high capacity retention. Also, when used as metal hydrides for hydrogen storage, remarkably high hydrogen storage capacity and structural stability are observed for HEMs. In the end, future directions and new energy-related technologies that can be enabled by the application of HEMs are outlined. 
    more » « less
  3. Recent advancements in high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and high-entropy materials (HEMs) show promising potential for different fields of applications. The emergence of HEAs and HEMs has gained significant interest for their exciting nature and properties. As they consist of five or more elements in considerable amounts, properties vary depending on the synergistic effect of combinations of elements. By selecting proper elements and manufacturing methods, better properties can be tuned. Although many unique behaviors of HEAs and HEMs are reported due to their mixing entropy, sluggish diffusion, severe lattice distortion, and multi-metallic cocktail effects, it is necessary to summarize the data to map their feasibility and potential. For example, the combined properties of high thermal stability, thermal fatigue, creep resistance, higher stiffness, and better corrosion resistance for elevated-temperature environments in aerospace applications are pursued. Moreover, gaining the environmental compatibility and longevity of service-life-oxidation behavior of these materials is one of the crucial aspects and, hence, has been recently explored. Therefore, this Research Update aims at summarizing the recent developments and findings in oxidation behavior and highlighting the challenges and controversies for future research perspectives, particularly, on the sustainability for different applications. Moreover, besides the bulk structure, the performance of the HEAs/HEMs coatings is also reviewed. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract High entropy oxides are a class of materials distinguished by the use of configurational entropy to drive material synthesis. These materials are being examined for their exciting physiochemical properties and hold promise in numerous fields, such as chemical sensing, electronics, and catalysis. Patterning and integration of high entropy materials into devices and platforms can be difficult due to their thermal sensitivity and incompatibility with many conventional thermally-based processing techniques. In this work, we present a laser-based technique, laser-induced thermal voxels, that combines the synthesis and patterning of high entropy oxides into a single process step, thereby allowing patterning of high entropy materials directly onto substrates. As a proof-of-concept, we target the synthesis and patterning of a well-characterized rock salt-phase high entropy oxide, (Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2)O, as well as a spinel-phase high entropy oxide, (Mg0.2Ni0.2Co0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2)Cr2O4. We show through electron microscopy and x-ray analysis that the materials created are atomically homogenous and are primarily of the rock salt or spinel phase. These findings show the efficacy of laser induced thermal voxel processing for the synthesis and patterning of high entropy materials and enable new routes for integration of high entropy materials within microscale platform and devices. 
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)
    The use of microwave irradiation for the synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials has recently become a widespread area of research that continues to expand in scope and specialization. The growing demand for nanoscale materials with composition and morphology tailored to specific applications requires the development of facile, repeatable, and scalable synthetic routes that offer a high degree of control over the reaction environment. Microwave irradiation provides unique advantages for developing such routes through its direct interaction with active reaction species, which promotes homogeneous heat distribution, increased reaction rates, greater product quality and yield, and use of mild reaction conditions. Many catalytic nanomaterials such as noble metal nanoparticles and intricate nanocomposites have very limited synthetic routes due to their extreme temperature sensitivity and difficulty achieving homogeneous growth. This work presents recent advances in the use of MW irradiation methods to produce high-quality nanoscale composites with controlled size, morphology, and architecture. 
    more » « less