Liquid precursor-derived high-entropy carbide nanopowders

We report a simple liquid precursor method for the synthesis of single-phase high-entropy carbide (HEC) nanopowders. Transition metal halides (TiCl4, ZrCl4, HfCl4, NbCl5, TaCl5) and furfuryl alcohol are used as metal sources and carbon source. The liquid precursor can be converted into mixtures of five binary carbides via carbothermal reduction at 1400 degrees C in vacuum, and can be further transformed into single-phase HEC nanopowders through solid solution formation by heat treatment at 2000 degrees C. The as-synthesized HEC nanopowders possess an average particle size of 132 +/- 5 nm, a specific surface area of 24.5 m(2)/g, and an oxygen content of 0.22 wt%, respectively.