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High-Entropy Alloys: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 917

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: high-entropy alloys; microstructure; consolidation; structure characterization; nuclear fusion; powder analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are alloys composed of five or more elements, usually controlled between 5% and 35% (atomic number fraction). Theoretically, due to the diversity in the random combinations of elements, HEAs can overcome limitations of traditional alloy systems, greatly increasing the scope of research in the development of new materials.

Unlike traditional metal alloys, HEAs have four unique effects, namely, the cocktail effect, the high-entropy effect, the lattice-distortion effect, and the sluggish-diffusion effect. These effects enable HEAs to present unique properties like high strength and toughness, high resistance to corrosion, oxidation, wear, temperature, radiation, and fatigue, among other comprehensive properties, showing better performances than traditional alloys in many fields.

The preparation methods and parameters of HEAs greatly influence their properties and processing costs. These methods include mechanical alloying, melting–casting (vacuum arc melting, vacuum induction melting, vacuum electron beam melting, and resistance furnace melting), and coating (magnetron sputtering, thermal spray technology, electrochemical deposition, laser cladding).

HEAs are developed for many application fields, including nuclear reactors, energy storage, biomedicine, magnetic cooling, photocatalysis, solar panels, aviation, and aerospace engineering.

This Special Issue is open to contributions in the form of experimental and theoretical research articles, as well as reviews, on the preparation, characterization, and applications of high-entropy alloys.

Dr. Bernardo Monteiro
Dr. Marta Dias
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • high-entropy alloys
  • preparation methods
  • material characterization
  • applications
  • design of HEAs (empirical method, CALPHAD, molecular dynamics, Monte Carlo, artificial intelligence, and machine learning)
  • powder metallurgy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 6297 KiB  
Article
Enhancing the Elevated-Temperature Mechanical Properties of Levitation Melted NbMoTaW Refractory High-Entropy Alloys via Si Addition
by Yunzi Liu, Xiaoxiao Li, Shuaidan Lu, Jialiang Zhou, Shangkun Wu, Shengfeng Lin and Long Wang
Materials 2025, 18(15), 3465; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18153465 - 24 Jul 2025
Abstract
To enhance the mechanical properties of NbMoTaW refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs), Si was added at varying concentrations (x = 0, 0.25, and 0.5) via vacuum induction levitation melting (re-melted six times for homogeneity). The microstructure and mechanical properties of NbMoTaWSix ( [...] Read more.
To enhance the mechanical properties of NbMoTaW refractory high-entropy alloys (RHEAs), Si was added at varying concentrations (x = 0, 0.25, and 0.5) via vacuum induction levitation melting (re-melted six times for homogeneity). The microstructure and mechanical properties of NbMoTaWSix (x = 0, 0.25, and 0.5) RHEAs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), universal testing, microhardness testing, and tribological equipment. Experimental results manifested that Si addition induces the formation of the (Nb,Ta)5Si3 phase, and the volume fraction of the silicide phase increases with higher Si content, which significantly improves the alloy’s strength and hardness but deteriorates its plasticity. Enhanced wear resistance with Si addition is attributed to improved hardness and oxidation resistance. Tribological tests confirm that Si3N4 counterfaces are optimal for evaluating RHEA wear mechanisms. This work can provide guidance for the fabrication of RHEAs with excellent performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Entropy Alloys: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications)
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14 pages, 4098 KiB  
Article
Thermal Stability and Irradiation Resistance of (CrFeTiTa)70W30 and VFeTiTaW High Entropy Alloys
by André Pereira, Ricardo Martins, Bernardo Monteiro, José B. Correia, Andrei Galatanu, Norberto Catarino, Petra J. Belec and Marta Dias
Materials 2025, 18(5), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18051030 - 26 Feb 2025
Viewed by 565
Abstract
Nuclear fusion is a promising energy source. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor aims to study the feasibility of tokamak-type reactors and test technologies and materials for commercial use. One major challenge is developing materials for the reactor’s divertor, which supports high thermal flux. [...] Read more.
Nuclear fusion is a promising energy source. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor aims to study the feasibility of tokamak-type reactors and test technologies and materials for commercial use. One major challenge is developing materials for the reactor’s divertor, which supports high thermal flux. Tungsten was chosen as the plasma-facing material, while a CuCrZr alloy will be used in the cooling pipes. However, the gradient between the working temperatures of these materials requires the use of a thermal barrier interlayer between them. To this end, refractory high-entropy (CrFeTiTa)70W30 and VFeTiTaW alloys were prepared by mechanical alloying and sintering, and their thermal and irradiation resistance was evaluated. Both alloys showed phase growth after annealing at 1100 °C for 8 days, being more pronounced for higher temperatures (1300 °C and 1500 °C). The VFeTiTaW alloy presented greater phase growth, suggesting lower microstructural stability, however, no new phases were formed. Both (as-sintered) alloys were irradiated with Ar+ (150 keV) with a fluence of 2.4 × 1020 at/m2, as well as He+ (10 keV) and D+ (5 keV) both with a fluence of 5 × 1021 at/m2. The morphology of the surface of both samples was analyzed before and after irradiation showing no severe morphologic changes, indicating high irradiation resistance. Additionally, the VFeTiTaW alloy presented a lower deuterium retention (8.58%) when compared to (CrFeTiTa)70W30 alloy (14.41%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue High-Entropy Alloys: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications)
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