Powder metallurgy processing of high entropy alloys: Bibliometric analysis and systematic review

Abstract

Research attention in powder metallurgy (PM) processing of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) is rising. Some reviews have been published but a detailed historical analysis to identify the thematic research areas and prospective future research areas is lacking. Therefore, this study presents a bibliometric literature analysis of PM-processed HEAs by mapping and clustering 700 articles published between 2007 and August 2022 in the Scopus database. The most prolific authors, their collaborators, institutions, and most preferred journals publishing PM-HEA works are identified and mapped. Publication trend shows that significant research attention in the PM processing of HEAs began to gain traction in 2016. The top three journals in this field are Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Materials Science and Engineering A, and Intermetallics. However, co-authorship network analysis does not reveal significant inter-institutional research collaboration indicating that strengthening this area could help to accelerate scientific discovery, enhance technology transfer, and commercialization of HEA products. Based on the co-occurrence frequencies of author keywords, popular research directions are identified, and a systematic review of emerging functional applications is undertaken. This work provides a comprehensive visual reference guide for researchers to deepen their knowledge of this field and delivers insight into prospective future research opportunities to stimulate further ground-breaking works.