Synthesis of High-Entropy Alloy Polyhedra Using Liquid Metal Dewetting
Jingjing Liang, Guanghui Cao, Yile Zhang, Zeyuan Li, Xuhao Wan, Jiqing Jiao, Kaicong Yang, Li Xiao, Yuzheng Guo, Mengqi Zeng, Lei Fu
Abstract
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are gaining extensive interest in materials science, and their facet engineering has long been a pursuit for materials design and advanced applications. However, limited by the poor compatibility of crystal face regulation in high-entropy scenarios with the existing extreme-condition synthetic techniques, the synthesis of HEA polyhedra is still scarce and challenging. Herein, we propose the strategy of liquid-metal-participating biphasic-modulated dewetting for self-confinement growth under near-equilibrium conditions. Owing to the surface energy anisotropy, HEAs could develop into the equilibrium shape with a polyhedral configuration, where liquid metal endows fast diffusion toward reaching the equilibrium shape. This strategy could also be extended to diverse HEA polyhedra with different chemical compositions and crystal structures with the formation mechanism elucidated through in situ transmission electron microscopy experiments and theoretical calculations. This work injects new vitality into the regulation of HEAs and expedites their facet engineering.