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Materials Science Seminar: Entropy-maximized materials for catalysis applications
by
Fri, Feb 27, 2026
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM MST (GMT-7)
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Details
Join us on Friday, February 6 at 1:30 p.m. in MCMR 205. Light refreshments will be provided.
Abstract:
Until recently, the design and synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts have been largely governed by enthalpic considerations, including charge–charge interactions, charge-transfer effects, and local bonding environments. While this framework has enabled many important advances, it also constrains catalyst discovery within relatively narrow compositional and structural spaces. The emergence of high-entropy materials (HEMs) introduces a fundamentally different paradigm for catalyst design, in which configurational entropy becomes a dominant driving force in stabilizing complex, multicomponent solid solutions. HEMs are broadly defined as materials composed of five or more principal elements randomly distributed within a single crystallographic phase, providing extraordinary flexibility for tuning surface compositions, active-site ensembles, and interfacial functionalities. This seminar presents recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of high-entropy electrocatalysts that demonstrate strong potential to surpass conventional catalysts in a range of energy-related catalytic reactions. Entropy-driven synthesis strategies, including routes that promote maximal configurational disorder while maintaining phase stability, are discussed in detail. The resulting structural and chemical complexity gives rise to a diverse population of catalytic sites, synergistic elemental interactions, and adaptive surface chemistries that are difficult or impossible to achieve using traditional single- or binary-component catalysts.1,2
Y. F. Sun, S. Dai, Synthesis of high-entropy materials. Nat. Synth. 2024, 3, 1457-1470.
Y. F. Sun, S. Dai, High-entropy materials for catalysis: A new frontier, Sci. Adv. 2021, 7, eabg1600
Where
MCMR 205 & Zoom
1435 W University Dr, , Boise, ID 83706, United States
Speakers
Dr. Sheng Dai
Chemical Sciences Division Section Head
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
Dr. Sheng Dai is a Corporate Fellow and Section Head at the Chemical Sciences Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he oversees four research groups in the areas of separations science and polymer chemistry. He is also a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). His current research interests include porous materials, ionic liquids, and their applications in separation science, energy storage, and nanomaterials-based catalysis. Dr. Dai’s research accomplishments have been recognized with numerous honors, including the 2025 RSC Fray Lecture, the 2020 Max Bredig Award for Ionic Liquids and Molten Salts, the 2019 ACS Award in Separation Science and Technology, the 2018 IMMA Award from the International Mesostructured Materials Association, and nine R&D 100 Awards. In 2022, he was named a DOE Distinguished Scientist Fellow in recognition of his exceptional contributions to U.S. Department of Energy–supported energy research. He is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Inventors.
Hosted By
Co-hosted with: College of Engineering