Skip to main content
. 2022 Mar 24;12(15):9373–9394. doi: 10.1039/d2ra00657j

Summary of the advantages and disadvantages of wet and dry chemical routes.

Classification Synthesis method Advantages Disadvantages
Dry chemistry routes Atomic layer deposition (1) Precise control of parameters (1) Only materials with suitable ligands or functional groups could be chosen as support
(2) Excellent deposition uniformity and reproducibility (2) Not applicable for the commercial preparation
(3) The loading of the singly dispersed atoms could be adjusted via regulating the number of cycles
Pyrolysis synthesis Straightforward for the preparation of SACs Requires high pyrolysis temperature
Atom trapping The operation is simple (1) Need to provide mobile atoms and support that could capture mobile species
(2) High temperature synthesis
Two-step doping High stability Requires high energy atom/ion generator
Ball-milling Simple, green, scalable production The catalysts are prone to agglomeration
Wet chemistry routes Facile adsorption Simple and easy to operate Proper interaction between active metal components and catalyst support is required
Strong electrostatic adsorption Applicable for the preparation of high-quality precious metal SACs Adsorption behavior is affected by many factors
Wetness impregnation Simple to operate Generally metal atoms are not uniformly dispersed on the surface of support
Photoreduction No special equipment is required, easy to implement Catalytic active center generally is not uniform
Galvanic replacement Simple, versatile Limited by the requirement of an appropriate difference in electrochemical potentials between the two metals
Cyclic voltammetry Less additives are demanded and no interfering products are generated An electrochemical station is needed and the operation cost is high
Ion exchange It could produce highly loaded single atoms on the surface of the support Only applicable for the synthesis of limited types of SACs
Templated hydrothermal Simple, easy to operate Only applicable for the synthesis of limited types of SACs
Co-precipitation Applicable for preparing composite oxides containing two or more uniformly dispersed metal elements (1) Preparation parameters have a great impact on performance
(2) Some active atoms are not exposed and cannot participate in the reaction
One-pot wet chemistry (1) No special experimental setup and multi-step reaction conditions are required, which is beneficial for large-scale production (1) Limited by the solubility of various precursors
(2) High loading of isolated metals can be achieved (2) Impurities and by-products of individual steps have an impact
Metal leaching Preparation of monodispersed catalysts by a two-step method (1) Suitable for a small number of certain metals and supports
(2) Environmental pollution during the preparation process
Flame spray pyrolysis (1) It could mix all precursors at the atomic level Few application examples
(2) The shape and particle size of the catalysts can be effectively controlled
(3) Large-scale production