No Arabic abstract
Single-phase high-entropy monoborides (HEMBs) of the CrB prototype structure have been synthesized for the first time. Reactive spark plasma sintering of ball milled mixtures of elemental precursor powders produced bulk (V0.2Cr0.2Nb0.2Mo0.2Ta0.2)B, (V0.2Cr0.2Nb0.2Mo0.2W0.2)B, and (V0.2Cr0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2W0.2)B HEMB specimens of ~98.3-99.5% relative densities. Vickers hardness was measured to be ~22-26 GPa at an indentation load of 9.8 N and ~32-37 GPa at 0.98 N. In particular, the load-dependent hardness of (V0.2Cr0.2Nb0.2Ta0.2W0.2)B is higher than those of ternary (Ta0.5W0.5)B (already considered as superhard) and hardest reported high-entropy metal diborides, and on a par with the classical superhard boride WB4.
In the present work we have proposed the method that allows one to easily estimate hardness and bulk modulus of known or hypothetical solid phases from the data on Gibbs energy of atomization of the elements and corresponding covalent radii. It has been shown that hardness and bulk moduli of compounds strongly correlate with their thermodynamic and structural properties. The proposed method may be used for a large number of compounds with various types of chemical bonding and structures; moreover, the temperature dependence of hardness may be calculated, that has been performed for diamond and cubic boron nitride. The correctness of this approach has been shown for the recently synthesized superhard diamond-like BC5. It has been predicted that the hypothetical forms of B2O3, diamond-like boron, BCx and COx, which could be synthesized at high pressures and temperatures, should have extreme hardness.
High entropy alloys offer a huge search space for new electrocatalysts. Searching for a global property maximum in one quinary system could require, depending on compositional resolution, the synthesis of up to 10E6 samples which is impossible using conventional approaches. Co-sputtered materials libraries address this challenge by synthesis of controlled composition gradients of each element. However, even such a materials library covers less than 1% of the composition space of a quinary system. We present a new strategy using deposition source permutations optimized for highest improvement of the covered new compositions. Using this approach, the composition space can be sampled in different subsections allowing identification of the contribution of individual elements and their combinations on electrochemical activity. Unsupervised machine learning reveals that electrochemical activity is governed by the complex interplay of chemical and structural factors. Out of 2394 measured compositions, a new highly active composition for the oxygen reduction reaction around Ru17Rh5Pd19Ir29Pt30 was identified.
This Comment points out a number of errors in the recent paper by Zarechnaya, Dubrovinskaia, Dubrovinsky, et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 185501 (2009)). Results and conclusions presented by Zarechnaya et al. (2009) are either incorrect or have been presented before.
The charge, spin, and composition degrees of freedom in high-entropy alloy endow it with tunable valence and spin states, infinite combinations and excellent mechanical performance. Meanwhile, the stacking, interlayer, and angle degrees of freedom in van der Waals material bring it with exceptional features and technological applications. Integration of these two distinct material categories while keeping their merits would be tempting. Based on this heuristic thinking, we design and explore a new range of materials (i.e., dichalcogenides, halides and phosphorus trisulfides) with multiple metallic constitutions and intrinsic layered structure, which are coined as high-entropy van der Waals materials. Millimeter-scale single crystals with homogeneous element distribution can be efficiently acquired and easily exfoliated or intercalated in this materials category. Multifarious physical properties like superconductivity, magnetic ordering, metal-insulator transition and corrosion resistance have been exploited. Further research based on the concept of high-entropy van der Waals materials will enrich the high-throughput design of new systems with intriguing properties and practical applications.
High-entropy materials have attracted considerable interest due to the combination of useful properties and promising applications. Predicting their formation remains the major hindrance to the discovery of new systems. Here we propose a descriptor - entropy forming ability - for addressing synthesizability from first principles. The formalism, based on the energy distribution spectrum of randomized calculations, captures the accessibility of equally-sampled states near the ground state and quantifies configurational disorder capable of stabilizing high-entropy homogeneous phases. The methodology is applied to disordered refractory 5-metal carbides - promising candidates for high-hardness applications. The descriptor correctly predicts the ease with which compositions can be experimentally synthesized as rock-salt high-entropy homogeneous phases, validating the ansatz, and in some cases, going beyond intuition. Several of these materials exhibit hardness up to 50% higher than rule of mixtures estimations. The entropy descriptor method has the potential to accelerate the search for high-entropy systems by rationally combining first principles with experimental synthesis and characterization.