Preparation and properties of a high-entropy amorphous oxide with high refractive index by containerless solidification

A non-proportional high-entropy oxide glass disc: 25LaO3/2-25TiO2–25NbO5/2-(25-x) WO3-xZrO2(x = 0, 5, 10) was formed using containerless solidification technology. In optical tests, the 25LaO3/2-25TiO2–25NbO5/2-20WO3–5ZrO2(x = 5) disc had the highest refractive index (2.53) and the highest visible transmittance (84%). In addition, the refractive index of amorphous materials prepared from La2O3, TiO2, Nb2O5, WO3, and ZrO2 were all greater than 2.1, which is considered as a high refractive index. The results suggest that these components can provide a specific reference for optical glass material selection in future research. Furthermore, based on the concept of performance synergy in high-entropy materials, our research group developed a high-entropy amorphous oxide in equal proportion, 20LaO3/2-20TiO2–20NbO5/2-20WO3–20ZrO2 (Qi Xiwei, 2019). The structure has a high refractive index (2.22) and a high Abbe coefficient (61), which ensures that the lens has sufficient clarity when it is ultra-thin. By comparing the results of the two systems, we found that all non-proportional high-entropy systems are unable to simultaneously show both a high Abbe value and a high refractive index. This phenomenon further indicates the necessity of preparing high-entropy amorphous oxide in equal proportion.