A critical review of high entropy alloys and related concepts

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are barely 12 years old. The field has stimulated new ideas and has inspired the exploration of the vast composition space offered by multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs). Here we present a critical review of this field, with the intent of summarizing key findings, uncovering major trends and providing guidance for future efforts. Major themes in this assessment include definition of terms; thermodynamic analysis of complex, concentrated alloys (CCAs); taxonomy of current alloy families; microstructures; mechanical properties; potential applications; and future efforts. Based on detailed analyses, the following major results emerge. Although classical thermodynamic concepts are…