摘要
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are an innovative class of materials characterized by at least five principal metal elements, which have high mixing entropy in the random solution and potentially enhance the formation of solid solution phases instead of brittle intermetallic compounds. Introduced in the early 2000s, HEAs and high-entropy-related materials including ceramics, compounds, polymers, and composites have gained significant attention and research for their exceptional properties including mechanical, physical, chemical, and various functional properties. All these observations demonstrate their promising applications in smart machinery, IC, aerospace, energy, defense, and biomedical industries, used as structural materials, protective coatings, diffusion barriers, cutting tools, nuclear materials, bioimplants, battery electrodes and electrolytes, and catalysts. This chapter delves into the fundamentals, core effects, crystal structures, various properties, and wide-ranging potential applications of HEAs and HE-related materials, offering insights into their transformative potential in modern civilization.