TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The rate of increase is 8-12 degrees C/minute. The predetermined temperature is less than or equal to 300 degrees C. In the method, controlling the rate of increase comprises, in a continuous loop, detecting a temperature of the solution with a temperature probe, and adjusting the microwave irradiation, based on the temperature of the solution detected by the temperature probe, so that the temperature of the solution rises at the rate of increase until the predetermined temperature is reached. In the method, maintaining the solution at the predetermined temperature comprises, in a continuous loop, detecting a temperature of the solution with a temperature probe, and adjusting the microwave irradiation, based on the temperature of the solution detected by the temperature probe, to maintain the solution at predetermined temperature. The method further comprises: adding additional stabilizer to the solution during reduction and deposition; adding a second, stronger reducing agent to the solution during reduction and deposition; adding one or more additional precious metal or transition metal precursors to the solution during reduction and deposition to form alloys or core-shells; and cooling the catalyst particles and washing the catalyst particles to remove impurities. The step of detecting completion of deposition comprises emitting light through the solution, and measuring an amount of light emitted through the solution, where completion is determined when a predetermined amount of light is measured. The predetermined amount of light is zero. Preferred Components: The precious metal precursor is a platinum precursor and the catalyst substrate is a non-precious metal catalyst material and the solvent. The homogenous solution further comprises a reducing agent and a stabilizer. The ultra-low loading catalyst comprises less than 15 wt.% of platinum. EXAMPLE - Chloroplatinic acid (5.25 mg) as a platinum precursor was mixed with 47.5 mg of non-precious group metal (non-PGM) as a catalyst substrate in 25 ml of ethylene glycol. The solution was sonicated for 30 minutes to form homogeneous slurry in a reaction chamber. The reaction chamber was transferred to a microwave oven and attached to the reflux condenser and heated at a controlled ramp rate of 10 degrees C/minute to a predetermined temperature of 190 degrees C. The solution was kept at 190 degrees C for a predetermined time of 3 minutes. The resulting ultra-low loading catalyst was then allowed to cool to room temperature and subsequently washed 5 times with deionized water to remove chloride ions and other impurities.