One-pot synthesis of PdBi/reduced graphene oxide catalyst under microwave irradiation used for formic acid electrooxidation

•Pd and PdBi supported on reduced graphene oxide (Pd or PdBi/rGO) were synthesized.•The one-pot reaction under the microwave was an effective method for Pd or PdBi/rGO.•Optimum PdBi/rGO with more Pd0Bi0 has good performance toward HCOOH electrooxidation.

The Pd and PdBi nanoparticles dispersed on the reduced graphene oxide (Pd/rGO and PdBi/rGO) have been synthesized through one-pot reaction under the irradiation of microwave and the obtained composites have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and their electrocatalytic activities have also been evaluated. It is found that the PdBi0.05/rGO catalyst exhibits higher activity and better stability toward formic acid electrooxidation compared with Pd/C and Pd/rGO. The excellent electrocatalytic performance indicates that the addition of appropriate amount of Bi can greatly enhance the activity and stability of Pd catalysts for the formic acid oxidation.