APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Catalysis for chemical and advanced materials production
- Production of metal glasses with high strength, entropy, and hardness for structural applications
- Chemical conversion (eg. CO2, methane)
- Electronics
- Optoelectronics
BENEFITS:
- Low temperature synthesis
- Diverse morphologies with superior catalytic properties
- Enhanced optical, electronic, magnetic, and catalytic properties compared to conventional nanoparticles or bulk materials
BACKGROUND:
High-entropy alloy (HEA) nanomaterials consist of more than five different metal elements mixed together. These materials have potential applications in various fields, including catalysis and batteries. However, due to thermodynamic immiscibility of certain metal elements, some combinations cannot naturally form high-entropy alloy states.
To address this issue, non-equilibrium methods have been developed to kinetically trap the high-entropy states. This involves mixing different elements at high temperatures and then rapidly cooling them to preserve the high-entropy phase at room temperature. However, this approach results in single-crystalline or amorphous structured HEA nanoparticles, limiting their use in applications that require specific structural conditions. Wet chemistry methods are more effective at controlling the size and shape of HEA nanoparticles; however, these methods are only suitable for specific systems and cannot be used with immiscible element combinations.
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW:
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed a new method for the synthesis of alloys with controlled crystallinity, various morphology, and increased composition diversity (above 20 elements) under mild conditions (room temperature to 80°C). In this process, gallium or liquid metal alloys act as solvents to blend the metal elements. The high entropy states created are maintained through isothermal solidification, rather than rapid cooling. This technique can also be used for reactions at other liquid-liquid interfaces, like the oil-water interface.
Compared with existing methods for HEAs synthesis, this method doesn’t require complex equipment, and the reaction can be completed within 1 minute at low temperature, significantly reducing the cost of synthesizing high entropy nanoparticles. The produced nanoparticles have rich reaction sites and ultra-strong strength and hardness, making them very suitable for use as catalytic, electronic, energy, and anti-corrosion materials.
This method has enabled the synthesis of high-entropy materials with unique properties for the first time, such as hierarchical morphology high-entropy alloys (HEAs), mesocrystal HEAs, and high-entropy metal glasses. The new high entropy metal glasses produced from this method possess high strength, hardness, and elastic limit, making them suitable for structural applications where strength and durability are essential. This material is beneficial for applications requiring resilience to mechanical stress or impact. The high entropy metal glasses also have excellent corrosion resistance due to their homogeneous and amorphous structure, making them ideal for applications in harsh conditions.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
Haimei Zheng, Qiubo Zhang, Yi Chen
IP Status:
Patent pending
OPPORTUNITIES:
Available for licensing or collaborative research