Bibliometric Mapping of Literature on High-Entropy/ Multicomponent Alloys and Systematic Review of Emerging Applications

• High-entropy/multicomponent alloy (HEA/MCA) has received significant research attention in the last decade. There is a dearth of data-driven works dedicated to assessing and visualizing the HEA/MCA literature from a global perspective. To this end, we present the first bibliometric literature analysis of more than 3500 HEA/MCA articles, published between 2004 and 2021, in the Scopus database. We identify the most prolific authors, their collaborators, institutions, and most prominent research outlet. Co-occurrence networks of keywords are mapped and analyzed. A steep rise in research outputs is observed from 2013, when the number of annual publications doubled the previous years. The top five preferred research outlets include Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Materials Science and Engineering A, Scripta Materialia, Intermetallics, and Acta Materialia. Most of these publications emanate from researchers and institutions within China, USA, and Germany, although international scientific collaboration among them is lacking. Research gaps and future research directions are proposed, based on co-occurrence frequencies of author keywords. Finally, a brief systematic review of emerging applications, covering hydrogen storage, additive manufacturing, catalysis, and superconductivity, is undertaken. This work provides an important comprehensive reference guide for researchers to deepen their knowledge of the field and pursue new research directions.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Metallurgi och metalliska material (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Metallurgy and Metallic Materials (hsv//eng)

Keyword

bibliometric mapping

high-entropy alloy

multicomponent alloy

text-mining

VOSviewer

Materialteknik

Engineering Materials

Publication and Content Type

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