Advanced high-entropy materials for high-quality energy storage and conversion

Due to global shifts in energy consumption and increasing demand for efficient, safe, and cost‒effective energy storage solutions, high-entropy materials (HEMs) have garnered great attention. The HEMs, composed of five or more elements in near‒equimolar ratios, exhibit unique properties such as high entropy effects, lattice distortion, sluggish diffusion kinetics, and the cocktail effect. These characteristics of HEMs significantly enhance the performance of rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors by improving electronic conductivity and ionic transport of the relevant battery composition as well as expanding the operational battery temperature. This paper timely summarizes the function principles of the four primary enhancement mechanisms of HEMs and resultant recent applications in energy storage and conversion technologies, including cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes. Considerable emphasis is focused on the functional orientation screen and the synthesis of HEM elements/structures towards stability and power capability of the electrode reactions. Finally, the current challenge, the possible solving strategies and the future research trend for HEMs are outlined. It is believed that this review will offer timely and comprehensive information on the future research directions of HEMs to boost high‒performance energy storage communities. © 2024