Nanoporous high-entropy alloy by liquid metal dealloying

Abstract

High-entropy nanomaterials possessing high accessible surface areas have demonstrated outstanding catalytic performance, beating that found for noble metals. In this communication, wereport about the synthesis of a new, nanoporous, high-entropy alloy (HEA) possessing open porosity. The nanoporous, high-entropy Ta19.1Mo20.5Nb22.9V30Ni7.5 alloy (at%) was fabricated from a precursor (TaMoNbV)25Ni75 alloy (at%) by liquid metal dealloying using liquid magnesium (Mg). Directly after dealloying, the bicontinuous nanocomposite consisting of a Mg-rich phase and a phase with a bulk-centered cubic (bcc) structure was formed. The Mg-rich phase was removed with a 3M aqueous solution of nitric acid to obtain the open, porous, high-entropy Ta19.1Mo20.5Nb22.9V30Ni7.5 alloy (at%). The ligament size of this nanoporous HEA is about 69 ± 9 nm, indicating the high surface area in this material.