Synthesis strategies and multi‑field applications of nanoscale high‑entropy alloys

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) shattered the “one-major-element” paradigm two decades ago, but only at the nanoscale do their five-plus-element cocktails truly electrify energy, health, and environmental technologies. A comprehensive review led by Prof. Taolei Sun and Prof. Guanbin Gao at Wuhan University of Technology distills the latest synthesis breakthroughs and multi-field triumphs of nano-HEAs in “Synthesis Strategies and Multi-field Applications of Nanoscale High-Entropy Alloys,” published in Nano-Micro Letters.

Why Nanosizing HEAs Changes Everything

• Entropy-Stabilized Solid Solutions: Atomic-scale mixing of ≥5 elements (5–35 % each) delivers continuous binding-energy landscapes and near-limitless active-site ensembles—impossible in conventional alloys.
• Core Effects in Action
  – High-Entropy Effect: ΔS_mix ≥ 1.5R suppresses phase separation, enabling 21-element ultramixes (FeCoNiCrYTiVCuAlNbMoTaWZnCdPbBiAgInMnSn) in a single 3 nm nanoparticle.
  – Lattice Distortion & Sluggish Diffusion: Local strain accelerates catalytic kinetics yet locks atoms in place, yielding 500 h HER stability with <10 mV decay.
  – Cocktail & Size Effects: Synergistic electronic interactions plus ultrahigh surface-to-volume ratios deliver record activities.

Toolbox of Next-Gen Syntheses

• Flash-Thermal Shock: 55 ms, 2 000 K pulses generate 3–25 nm HEAs on carbon nanofibers—scalable, ambient-air compatible.
• Microwave Heating: 1 850 K in seconds yields 12 nm PtPdFeCoNi spheres with uniform mixing and 98 % photothermal conversion.
• Wet-Chemical & Seed-Mediated: Programmable 0D/1D/2D/3D morphologies—2D nanorings boost ethanol-oxidation mass activity 25.6× over Pt/C.
• Dealloying & Laser Ablation: Nanoporous 16-element HEAs (1.5 nm ligaments) and sub-2 nm single-atom films push the size/activity frontier.

Cross-Domain Performance Highlights

1. Catalysis
   – HER: PtMoPdRhNi delivers 9.7 mV @ 10 mA cm^-2 in 1 M KOH.
   – ORR/OER: FeCoNiRu hollow nanoframes achieve 1.47 V @ 10 mA cm^-2 overall water splitting and 1.34 A mg^-1_Pt ORR mass activity after 30 000 cycles.
   – CO₂RR: PdCuAuAgBiIn aerogels yield 98 % Faradaic efficiency for formate at −1.1 V vs RHE.
2. Energy Storage
   – Zn–Air: PtRuNiCoFeMo cathodes reach 214 mW cm^-2 peak power and 2 000 cycle durability.
   – Supercapacitors: Na_x(FeMnNiCuCo)[Fe(CN)₆] Prussian-blue analogues retain 68 mAh g^-1 after 3 000 cycles at 100 % Coulombic efficiency.
3. Electromagnetic Shielding
   – FeCoNiCuMn@honeycomb carbon fibers: −65.8 dB reflection loss over 7.68 GHz at only 2 wt % loading—best-in-class bandwidth.
4. Gas Sensing & Biomedicine
   – CH₄ sensor: 25 ppm detection limit at 50 nW power.
   – Nanozyme therapy: PtPdRuRhIr clusters kill 75 % of 4T1 tumor cells at 100 µg mL⁻¹ while sparing 90 % of normal IEC-6 cells.

Future Outlook

• AI-Accelerated Discovery: Graph-attention networks predict surface adsorption energies (MAE 0.09 eV) and circumvent scaling relations for bespoke HEA design.
• Green & Scalable Routes: Microwave and flash-thermal methods promise roll-to-roll production of kilogram-scale nano-HEAs.
• Multidimensional Architectures: 3-D printed lattices and aerogel scaffolds are poised to translate lab records into industrial reactors, batteries, and biomedical devices.

With entropy as the architect and nanoscale precision as the toolkit, high-entropy alloys are redefining what’s possible in catalysis, energy, and beyond.