Research progress on high-entropy bulk metallic glasses

Abstract

As a new type of amorphous materials, high-entropy bulk metallic glasses (HE-BMGs) exhibit the characteristics of long-range disordered atomic arrangement similar to that of traditional BMGs and also contain an equimolar ratio of constituents similar to that of crystalline high-entropy alloys. Owing to their unique structural and compositional features, HE-BMGs exhibit peculiar physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. In this review paper, we briefly summarize recent progress on HE-BMGs and propose several important scientific problems that need to be investigated in the field of HE-BMGs. Specifically, the influence of high-mixing entropy on the formation of HE-BMGs. According to the confusion principle, the more components are present in an alloy, the more difficult becomes the crystallization of the alloy, and thus, the alloy easier forms an amorphous structure. However, it is determined that HE-BMGs have poor glass formation ability compared with that of their traditional BMG counterparts. High thermal stability and nano-crystallization of HE-BMGs. HE-BMGs exhibit slower crystallization kinetics and have a considerable potential in the fabrication of new types of high-entropy bulk nanostructured materials by partial crystallization. Unusual relationship between high thermal stability and poor glass forming ability of HE-BMGs.