Synthetic Strategies toward High Entropy Materials: Atoms-to-Lattices for Maximum Disorder

Abstract

High-entropy materials are a nascent class of materials that exploit a high configurational entropy to stabilize multiple elements in a single crystal lattice and to yield unique physical properties for applications in energy storage, catalysis, and thermoelectric energy conversion. Initially, the synthesis of these materials was conducted by approaches requiring high temperatures and long synthetic time scales. However, successful homogeneous mixing of elements at the atomic level within the lattice remains challenging, especially for the synthesis of nanomaterials. The use of atom-up synthetic approaches to build crystal lattices atom by atom, rather than the top-down alteration of extant crystalline lattices, could lead to faster, lower-temperature, and more sustainable approaches to obtaining high entropy materials. In this Perspective, we discuss some of these state-of-the-art atom-up synthetic approaches to high entropy materials and contrast them with more traditional approaches.

High-entropy materials for electrochemical energy storage devices

“…Atom-up approaches are required in order to obtain maximum mixing of multiple elements into a single phased lattice. 200 It should also be noted again that most synthetic techniques require high temperatures and long timescales in current synthetic procedures, something that may currently stymie production in future especially in the move to sustainable industrial processes. Ex situ materials characterization is one method of obtaining further understanding of HEM synthesis on varying timescales.…”

“…Fig. 18(b) shows that the (200) peak intensifies at the end of first charging process. In the subsequent discharge cycle, the three reflections gradually shift back to their pristine positions.…”

A chemist's guide to photoelectrode development for water splitting – the importance of molecular precursor design

“…348 Often containing greater than five principal metal elements incorporated into a single disordered phase, this class of materials show unique and promising structures and properties conducive towards use in highly efficient photoelectrodes. 349 Current synthesis procedures use high temperature and multistepped methods, often using solid state synthetic strategies from the constituent elements, however, simpler and more scalable routes using metal precursors have also been explored, for example in the work by Lewis et al, 350 where precursors were decomposed in tandem to form a high entropy transition metal disulfide material (Fig. 33).…”

High-entropy materials for thermoelectric applications: towards performance and reliability

“…In summary, the concept of entropy-driven, specifically focusing on maximizing entropy through the notion of entropy stabilization, offers a novel way to develop advanced materials. 149–151…”