High-entropy ceramics: Propelling applications through disorder

Disorder enhances desired properties, as well as creating new avenues for synthesizing materials. For instance, hardness and yield stress are improved by solid-solution strengthening, a result of distortions and atomic-size mismatches. Thermochemical stability is increased by the preference of chemically disordered mixtures for high-symmetry superlattices. Vibrational thermal conductivity is decreased by force-constant disorder without sacrificing mechanical strength and stiffness. Thus, high-entropy ceramics propel a wide range of applications: from wear-resistant coatings and thermal and environmental barriers to catalysts, batteries, thermoelectrics, and nuclear energy management. Here, we discuss recent progress of the field, with a particular emphasis on disorder-enhanced properties and applications.