Advances in refractory high-entropy alloys for nuclear engineering applications

Nuclear power plays a crucial role in global energy security, environmental protection, and technological innovation as a key component of clean energy systems. Its application requires structural materials capable of withstanding extreme reactor environments involving intense irradiation, high temperatures, and severe corrosion. Consequently, the development of advanced nuclear structural materials with superior comprehensive properties has become a critical research focus in nuclear engineering. High entropy alloys (HEAs), particularly refractory high entropy alloys (RHEAs), have attracted considerable attention due to their promising performance under such extreme conditions. Considering the wide compositional space of HEAs and the stringent requirements of nuclear applications, this paper reviews the current research progress of RHEAs for nuclear environments, with emphasis on their mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, irradiation resistance, and the associated underlying mechanisms. The available evidence suggests that the performance of RHEAs in extreme environments depends not only on compositional complexity, but also on microstructure and processing conditions. Consequently, future research endeavors should transition from the demonstration of isolated superior properties to the integration of multi-objective alloy design and validation under reactor-relevant conditions.