A dual-band transceiver with excellent heat insulation property for microwave absorption and low infrared emissivity compatibility

•A new type of sustainable absorber was prepared by reduced graphene oxide as framework.•The broad bandwidth of 5.75 GHz at thickness of 2 mm was obtained and RLmin could reach −52.4 dB.•The infrared emissivity of 8–14 μm (the band of atmospheric window) was reduced to 0.59 from 0.82.•The thermal insulation performance of aerogels is improved after loading phase change material.•The significant reduction of radar cross section under the condition of real far field is calculated by simulation. Electromagnetic wave absorbers with low infrared emissivity and excellent thermal insulation properties are attractive for multi-spectrum bands compatibility applications, but simultaneously meeting these requirements remains a great challenge. In this work, reduced graphene oxide/copper sulfide/stearic acid (rGO/CuS@SA) aerogels loaded with phase change materials were prepared by facile solvothermal and freeze-drying technique. Due to the existence of CuS nanoparticles, the multiple reflection and scattering of incident electromagnetic waves are enhanced, so the microwave absorption performance is improved. As a result, the reflection loss (RL) of the sample reach −52.4 dB with an effective absorption bandwidth of 5.75 GHz at 2 mm. It has certain infrared stealth function at critical moment, compared with rGO, the infrared emissivity decreased from 0.89 to 0.59. And the phase change material (stearic acid) has a large latent heat of phase change, which is available to improve the thermal insulation performance of the material. When the detection angle θ is 0°, the maximum radar cross-section (RCS) reduction value of the sample reaches 23.85 dB m2. This work provides directions for designing light-weight absorbers with low infrared emissivity and thermal insulation performance for dual-spectrum bands compatibility.