Catalytic potential and utility of high entropy alloys

Abstract

Recently, high entropy alloys (HEAs) containing a near-equimolar composition of five or more elements have attracted attention in various clean energy applications. Their unique properties, microstructure, and higher thermal stability have promoted their utilization in electro and thermo-catalytic reactions for clean energy conversion. The suitable electronic and geometric structures of HEA lead to their utilization as a platform for catalyst synthesis with excellent performance. Much effort has been devoted to synthesizing novel low-cost HEA and their catalytic applications. Herein, we discuss the recent development in terms of catalytic utilization of HEA in various electrocatalytic reactions, including oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), alcohol oxidation reactions. Furthermore, a summary of challenges and future possibilities in various catalytic applications has been discussed.