High-Entropy Metallic Glasses

The high-entropy alloys are defined as solid-solution alloys containing five or more than five principal elements in equal or near-equal atomic percent. The concept of high mixing entropy introduces a new way for developing advanced metallic materials with unique physical and mechanical properties that cannot be achieved by the conventional microalloying approach based on only a single base element. The metallic glass (MG) is the metallic alloy rapidly quenched from the liquid state, and at room temperature it still shows an amorphous liquid-like structure. Bulk MGs represent a particular class of amorphous alloys usually with three or more than three components but based on a single principal element such as Zr, Cu, Ce, and Fe. These materials are very attractive for applications because of their excellent mechanical properties such as ultrahigh (near theoretical) strength, wear resistance, and hardness, and physical properties such as soft magnetic properties. In this article, we review the formation and properties of a series of high-mixing-entropy bulk MGs based on multiple major elements. It is found that the strategy and route for development of the high-entropy alloys can be applied to the development of the MGs with excellent glass-forming ability. The high-mixing-entropy bulk MGs are then loosely defined as metallic glassy alloys containing five or more than five elements in equal or near-equal atomic percent, which have relatively high mixing entropy compared with the conventional MGs based on a single principal element. The formation mechanism, especially the role of the mixing entropy in the formation of the high-entropy MGs, is discussed. The unique physical, mechanical, chemical, and biomedical properties of the high-entropy MGs in comparison with the conventional metallic alloys are introduced. We show that the high-mixing-entropy MGs, along the formation idea and strategy of the high-entropy alloys and based on multiple major elements, might provide a novel approach in search for new MG-forming systems with significances in scientific studies and potential applications.