Cost Evidence Yields the Viability of Metal Oxides Synthesis Routes

Metal-based nanomaterials continue to be extensively studied, as they are regarded as the foundation of significant technological advancements due to their promising properties. However, despite these advantages, their broad adoption remains constrained by the high costs associated with the synthetic methods commonly reported in the literature. The novelty of this study lies in its integrated approach, which combines activity-based costing, total cost of ownership, and green metrics (including percentage yield, stoichiometric factor, atom economy, and reaction mass efficiency). Using three illustrative case studies (TiO₂, Al₂O₃, CeO₂) it was shown that if the synthesis processes were considered cost alone, the TiO₂ resulted in the lowest total synthesis cost. Green metrics evaluation further reinforce the sustainability of TiO₂. A comparative assessment of green metrics for TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ revealed that while TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ exhibit comparable atom economies (TiO₂: 19.37%; Al₂O₃: 19.40%), TiO₂ achieves a higher percentage yield (97 vs 95%) and significantly outperforms Al₂O₃ in terms of stoichiometric factor (8.51 vs 25.77), indicating more efficient use of reactants and reduced chemical waste. Additionally, TiO₂ shows a marginally higher Kernel's Reaction Mass Efficiency (18.79 vs 18.43%). The findings indicate that low cost and efficiency are closely interconnected concerns in synthetic routes.