Effect of different metal ratios on the synthesis, morphology and microwave absorption properties of DDM–RGO@Co1–xFex–LDH porous composites

[Display omitted] •DDM–RGO@Co1–xFex–LDH composite was synthesized via the hydrothermal method.•Effects of the ratio of Fe and Co on synthesis and structure were studied.•The composites show the good microwave absorption and broad bandwidth. The construction of multihollow lightweight wave absorbing materials is a future goal. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) offer a great potential for electromagnetic wave absorption given their lamellar texture and tunable bimetallic composition. In this study, CoFe–LDH was grown on 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane-modified reduce graphene oxide (RGO) surfaces through a hydrothermal method, and composites with different morphologies and wave-absorbing properties were obtained at varying molar ratios of Fe to Co in CoFe–LDH. When Fe: Co=5:5, CoFe–LDH flakes grew uniformly on the RGO surface, and the composite exhibited an excellent microwave absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss of –60.0 dB and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.4 GHz. When Fe: Co=3:7, the composite can obtain a maximum EAB of 5.12 GHz at a matched thickness of 1.82 mm.