Organic Phase Wet-chemistry Synthesis of High-Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles

Value Proposition

• Efficient Synthesis: Produces high-entropy alloy nanoparticles under organic, solution-based conditions without the need for extreme conditions and specialized equipment
• Precision Control Platform: Offers tunable control over size, phase, shape, facets, and surface decoration, overcoming the limitations of traditional nonequilibrium-based synthesis methods
• Synergistic Potential: Can be combined with nonequilibrium methods to achieve uniform mixing and small particle sizes, while providing precise control over the structural and morphological features for improved stability and tailored functionality
• High Market Impact: Provides high-entropy alloy catalysts for fuel cells and water electrolyzers, supporting clean, sustainable energy technology

Unmet Need

• High-entropy alloy nanoparticles are used as catalysts for electrocatalysis and heterogeneous reactions, with applications in fuel cells, water splitting, energy conversion, and biomedicine.
• Current high-entropy alloy nanoparticle synthesis methods rely on nonequilibrium approaches (e.g. temperature, force, pressure, etc.) and only achieve uniform mixing and small particle size.
• Traditional nonequilibrium methods lack precise control over size, shape, phase, and surface features. They also face limitations in their scalability and cost effectiveness due to their reliance on extreme conditions and expensive equipment.
• Therefore, there is a strong need to develop a scalable, cost-effective, and tunable method to synthesize high-entropy alloy nanoparticles

Technology Description

• Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a method to synthesize high-entropy alloy nanoparticles without the need for extreme reaction conditions and specialized equipment.
• This method utilizes organic solvents and offers potential for more precise control over size, shape, and surface features, improving stability and tailoring functionality.

Stage of Development

• Proof of concept with successful results in controlled lab experiments.

Data Availability

• Data available upon request.

Publication

Review Article in Science: Yao, Y., Dong, Q., Brozena, A., Luo, J., Miao, J., Chi, M., Wang, C., Kevrekidis, I. G., Ren, Z. J., & Hu, L. High-entropy nanoparticles: Synthesis-structure-property relationships and data-driven discovery. Science 376, eabn3103 (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abn3103