Recent advances on environmental corrosion behavior and mechanism of high-entropy alloys

In the past decade, the sudden rise of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) has become a research hotspot in the domain of metal materials. HEAs break through the design concept of traditional single-principal element alloys, and the four core effects, especially the high entropy and cocktail effects, make HEAs exhibit much better corrosion resistance than traditional corrosion-resistant metal materials, e.g., stainless steels, copper-nickel alloys, and high-nickel alloys. Currently, the corrosion resistance of HEAs causes great concern in the field of corrosion research. This article reviews the corrosion behavior and mechanism of HEAs in various aqueous solutions, revealing the correlation among the composition, microstructure and corrosion resistance of HEAs, and elaborates the influence of heat treatment, anodizing treatment and preparation methods on the corrosion behavior of HEAs. This knowledge will benefit the on-demand design of corrosion-resistant HEAs, which is an important trend of future development. Finally, perspectives regarding the corrosion research of HEAs are outlined to guide future studies.