Lattice engineering of high-entropy alloy nanomaterials for electrocatalytic applications

Abstract

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) refer to alloys consisting of five or more principal elements with equiatomic or near-equiatomic proportions and high configurational entropy, featuring great potential in various applications. Particularly, at the nanometer scale, recent advancements of design and synthesis of HEAs demonstrate their remarkable prospects in electrocatalysis. As a pivotal approach to tailoring the electrocatalytic properties of HEA nanomaterials, lattice engineering can manipulate the lattice strain and phase of HEAs, directly tailoring their intrinsic structural factors including electronic structures, surface active sites, and stability. This perspective summarizes recent advances in the lattice engineering of HEA nanomaterials, including both aspects of lattice strain control and phase control. We also discuss the impact of lattice-dependent properties on electrocatalysis and highlight ongoing challenges and potential opportunities for future research, providing guidelines for design and preparation of high-performance HEA electrocatalysts.