Development of Ag dendrites-reduced graphene oxide composite catalysts via galvanic replacement reaction

•Silver dendrites/reduced graphene oxide composite was prepared via a novel galvanic replacement method.•Formation of Ag dendrites and the reduction of graphene oxide were achieved simultaneously without adding any reductant.•The prepared silver dendrites/reduced graphene oxide composite exhibited an outstanding catalytic performance.

Silver dendrites/reduced graphene oxide (AgD/RGO) composites were synthesized via a facile galvanic replacement method. The successful formation of Ag dendrites and the graphene oxide reduction were proved by a series of characterization techniques. The possible formation mechanism of Ag dendrites during the galvanic replacement reaction was discussed. The catalytic activity of the as-synthesized AgD/RGO composite was evaluated by its performance on the chemical reduction of an organic dye methylene blue. The AgD/RGO composite showed a much higher catalytic performance and stability than that of Ag dendrites.