Sustainability of high‑entropy alloys in a circular economy

Matthew Barnett, Director of circAlloy, together with Stéphane Gorsse, has published a new invited review paper in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A examining the sustainability of high‑entropy alloys (HEAs) and whether they can play a meaningful role within a circular economy.

The paper, titled Sustainability of High Entropy Alloys and Do They Have a Place in a Circular Economy? (Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 56A, October 2025), critically explores how the unique design philosophy of high‑entropy alloys—based on multiple principal elements rather than a dominant base metal—intersects with sustainability goals. While HEAs typically involve higher production energy and complexity than conventional alloys, the authors argue that these costs can be justified where HEAs deliver substantial benefits during service, such as improved efficiency, extended component lifetime, or enabling high‑impact technologies.