Reduced graphene oxide decorated two-dimensional FeSiCr nanosheets for improving flame-retardancy, electromagnetic wave absorption, and thermal conduction of ethylene vinyl acetate composites

•This article uses ball milling and radiation reduction methods to embed reduced graphene oxide sheets on the surface of FeSiCr alloy powder.•The flame retardancy, smoke suppression and the structure of char residue of the EVA composites were enhanced dramatically by the addition of FeSiCr-rGO.•The mechanical property and thermal conduction of the EVA/FeSiCr-rGO composites were significantly improved.•The effective absorption bandwidth of modified FeSiCr-rGO increases in the range of 2–18 GHz. Ball milling introduced graphene oxide onto FeSiCr, followed by radiation reduction to convert it to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The materials, FeSiCr-rGO and FeSiCr-GO, were blended with Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) to create composites. Compared to pure EVA, EVA/FeSiCr-rGO composites showed significant reductions in peak heat release rate (71.3 %), total heat release (33.0 %), and total smoke production (18.3 %). CO and CO2 generation rates decreased, enhancing overall fire resistance. FeSiCr-rGO significantly improved thermal conductivity with minimal impact on mechanical properties compared to FeSiCr-GO. In electromagnetic absorption, FeSiCr-rGO notably enhanced low-frequency and X-band absorption for EVA composites. At 2 mm thickness, EVA/FeSiCr-rGO achieved a maximum reflection loss of -24.8 dB in the X-band, surpassing FeSiCr and FeSiCr-GO. At 3 mm thickness, it effectively absorbed electromagnetic waves in the 6–8 GHz range. [Display omitted]