Green Route for Microwave-Assisted Preparation of AuAg-Alloy-Decorated Graphene Hybrids with Superior 4-NP Reduction Catalytic Activity

A microwave-assisted green and facile route has been developed to disperse sub-6-nm Au-Ag alloy bimetallic nanoparticles on the surface of partially reduced graphene oxide (PRGO). The properties of the resulting materials were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, EDX line scanning, UV-vis spectroscopy, ICP spectrometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was investigated to evaluate the catalytic performance of AuAg-graphene hybrids, and it was found that this unique catalytic system exhibits excellent activity for this reaction. It is hoped that this fast route can be extended to prepare other preferred bimetallic nanoparticle structures with PRGO supports.