Preface: High-entropy alloy nanostructures: from theory to application

Abstract

Few areas of materials science have evolved as rapidly and dynamically as high-entropy alloys (HEAs). What began just two decades ago as a bold idea – first articulated by Brian Cantor and Jien-Wei Yeh – that chemical complexity itself could stabilise materials, has grown into a thriving research field spanning structural, functional, and catalytic applications. The Faraday Discussions ‘High-entropy alloy nanostructures: from theory to application’, held at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London, brought together researchers from across the world to examine a fundamental question at the heart of this concept: with multicomponent alloys now within reach, do they truly deliver beyond simpler systems, or does complexity risk obscuring purpose?