Microwave absorption property of the diatomite coated by Fe-CoNiP films

•The bio-absorbent coated Fe-CoNiP was fabricated by electroless and CVD.•The EM parameters were enlarged as Fe coated on the diatomite.•The coating CIPs play a key role in the enhancement mechanism.•The Fe-CoNiP diatomite had a better absorbing and shielding properties. A bio-absorbent of Fe-CoNiP coated on the diatomite was fabricated by way of electroless plating of CoNiP and subsequent chemical vapor deposition of Fe. The surface morphology and composition of the above-mentioned diatomite particles at different stage were characterized with the scanning electron microscopy and the energy spectrum analysis respectively, and the results showed that the diatomite was successfully coated with CoNoP and Fe (carbony iron). The complex permittivity and permeability of composites filled with the bio-absorbent and paraffin was measured in frequency range of 2–18GHz, and then the microwave reflection loss (RL) and the shielding effectiveness (SE) were calculated. The results showed that the permittivity and the permeability were both enlarged as Fe films were coated onto the CoNiP-coated diatomite, which was attributed to the excellent electromagnetic property of carbonyl irons. The composites made with the Fe-CoNiP diatomite had a better absorbing property (minimum RL −11.0dB) as well as the shielding property (maximum SE 5.6dB) at thickness 2mm. It indicated the absorption property was mainly due to the attenuation on the microwave, and the Fe-CoNiP diatomite could be an effective absorbent with low-density.