What is incipient wetness method?

Answer 1

The incipient wetness method is a more controllable method of making catalysts. The active phase(the actual catalytic material, a metal salt e.g Pd(NO3)), is added in solution to the dry powdered support i.e alumina, silica etc. until the mixture goes slightly tacky. The concentration of the liquid is sufficient to give a known metal "loading". The volume of the liquid is sufficient to fully "wet" the catalyst. the liquid totally wets the solid and there is no excess liquid present, therefore all the salt particles are dispersed over the solid.

the solvent is then evaporated leaving a solid dispersed salt/metal oxide mixture

Answer 2

The incipient wetness method is a technique used to calculate the minimum amount of liquid needed to just coat a solid material in a catalyst or adsorbent preparation. This method is often used in catalyst and adsorbent synthesis to ensure uniform distribution of the active phase on the support material without excess liquid.