High-entropy alloys: A comprehensive review of recent advances in energy generation and storage

The rapid expansion of the global economy and surging energy demands have made the transition to sustainable systems critically essential. As of 2020, fossil fuels accounted for 80% of global energy consumption, while renewable and nuclear energy contributed 12.6% and 6.3%, respectively. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 necessitates a 6-to-8-fold increase in renewable energy production to sustain a decent living standard of approximately 70 GJ per capita. By leveraging resource advantages and high renewable energy capacities, there is significant potential to produce green hydrogen at highly competitive costs by 2030. In this context, High-Entropy Alloys (HEAs) have emerged as promising catalysts due to their diverse atomic environments, which provide a broad spectrum of active sites that enhance reaction kinetics and facilitate complex, multi-step catalytic processes. Furthermore, their inherent structural stability and resistance to degradation under harsh conditions—driven by high entropy, lattice distortion, and sluggish diffusion—underscore the potential of HEAs as durable materials for sustainable energy conversion technologies. This paper provides a systematic overview of the applications of HEAs in energy generation, conversion, and storage.