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Acta Metall Sin  2026, Vol. 62 Issue (3): 397-405    DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2025.00405
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Multiscale Synthesis and Performance Regulation Mechanisms of High-Entropy Materials
HAN Jiecai1, SONG Bo1,2, XU Ping3, XU Yifei1,2, WANG Kaixi1,2
1.Center for Composite Materials and Structure, School of Astronautics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
2.Zhengzhou Advanced Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou 450000, China
3.School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Cite this article: 

HAN Jiecai, SONG Bo, XU Ping, XU Yifei, WANG Kaixi. Multiscale Synthesis and Performance Regulation Mechanisms of High-Entropy Materials. Acta Metall Sin, 2026, 62(3): 397-405.

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Abstract  

Metals and their compounds are core materials in energy catalysis; however, their performance is often constrained by conventional few-component systems, which typically feature single active sites and limited electronic-structure tunability. These limitations hinder precise regulation of complex reaction pathways and product selectivity. High-entropy strategies offer a promising route to overcome these challenges by enabling multi-element synergistic effects. Nevertheless, introducing multiple elements increases the tendency toward phase separation, making the controllable synthesis of single-phase, compositionally uniform high-entropy materials a key bottleneck for practical applications. To address this issue, this study develops a series of controllable synthesis strategies for high-entropy alloys, high-entropy ceramics, and two-dimensional (2D) high-entropy phosphorus trichalcogenides. Specifically, melt extraction is employed to fabricate high-entropy alloy fibers; pressureless sintering is used to synthesize dense high-entropy metal carbides; solid-state synthesis combined with ultrasonic exfoliation enables the production of 2D high-entropy phosphorus trichalcogenides; and a metal-organic framework-derived strategy is adopted to construct high-entropy metal oxides. These methods enable key advances in high-entropy material synthesis, particularly in compositional homogenization, structural densification, dimensional control, and precursor design. Moreover, the role of high-entropy engineering in regulating catalytic performance is systematically elucidated, highlighting the critical contributions of multicomponent synergy to basal-plane activation, optimization of metal—oxygen covalency, and enhancement of structural stability. Overall, this study aims to provide practical technical pathways and a theoretical framework for developing high-performance high-entropy materials through innovative synthesis strategies and in-depth mechanistic insights.

Key words:  high-entropy material      energy catalysis      controllable preparation      multi-component synergy      performance regulation     
Received:  09 December 2025     
ZTFLH:  TG139  
Fund: National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(52225201)

URL: 

https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2025.00405     OR     https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2026/V62/I3/397

Fig.1  Synthesis process, morphology, and structural characterization of Fe20Co20Ni20Mo20Al20 high-entropy fiber[25]
(a) synthesis pathway of the fiber (Step 1: smelt suction casting; Step 2: melt-extraction; Step 3: dealloying)
(b) SEM image of the fibers (Inset is magnified morphology)
(c) TEM image of Fe20Co20Ni20Mo20Al20 high-entropy fiber with core-shell structure, where the boundary of the core-shell structure is noted by the blue line
(d) HRTEM image of the shell indicated by red rectangle area in Fig.1c (Inset is corresponding selected area electron diffrac-tion (SAED) pattern, where yellow-colored dashed circles are used to emphasize the nano-crystallites of Fe, Co, Ni, and Mo oxides that are 3-4 nm in size. d—interplanar spacing)
(e) HRTEM image of the crystalline core indicated by yellow rectangle area in Fig.1c
Fig.2  Microscopic morphology characterizations of (TiZrHfVNbTa)C high-entropy carbides (HECs)[31]
(a) SEM images of (TiZrHfVNbTa)C HECs with different V additions and sintering temperatures (Samples HEC0V, HEC5V, HEC10V, and HEC16V correspond to molar fractions of V in the HECs of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 16.67%, respectively)
(b) TEM characterizations of sample HEC16V at 2300 oC
Fig.3  Theoretical calculations, element selection strategy, and microstructure characterization of CoVMnNiZnPS3 high-entropy metal phosphorus trichalcogenide nanosheets[12]
(a) density function theory (DFT)-calculated structure and element selection strategy
(b, c) AFM (b) and HRTEM (c) images
Fig.4  Analyses of the elemental binding energy, surface site model, and hydrogen evolution reaction free energy of Co0.6-(VMnNiZn)0.4PS3[12]; and the electronic state characteristics of Co3O4, (CoFeNi)3O4, and (CoFeNiMnW)3O4[38] (a-c) binding energies of P and S 2p3/2 orbitals (a), basal-plane models of P sites (P1-P3) and S sites (S1-S9) (b), and H* adsorption free energy (ΔGH*) diagrams of corresponding sites in Fig.4b (c) in Co0.6(VMnNiZn)0.4PS3[12] (d, e) partial density of states (PDOS) (d) and energy gap between the average metal (M) d-band center (εd) and O p-band center (εp) (e) of Co3O4, (CoFeNi)3O4, and (CoFeNiMnW)3O4[38] (E—energy, Ef—Fermi level)
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