Simple, fast, and energy saving: Room temperature synthesis of high-entropy alloy by liquid-metal-mediated mechanochemistry

Abstract

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have a wide range of applications due to their excellent physical and chemical properties. However, traditional synthesis routes always require high temperatures over 923 K or have high equipment requirements. Here, we developed a liquid metal gallium (Ga)-mediated strategy using only a commercial vortex mixer and metal powders to synthesize HEAs near room temperature (303 K) with low power (7 W). A variety of HEAs were successfully prepared, and the yield can be expanded to over 10 g each time. The mechanistic investigation proved that Ga continued to flow under the mechanical force and exposed fresh surfaces to contact the metal, thereby promoting the process of metal dissolution in Ga and forming HEAs. These as-prepared HEAs can be used for catalysis in electrochemical oxygen evolution reactions with low overpotential and high durability. This strategy provides an innovative method for low-energy synthesis of HEAs at room temperature.