Ferromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of copper oxide/cobalt/carbon fiber multilayer film composites

► CuO/Co/CF composites were synthesized by thermal oxidation route. ► Reflectivity loss (RL) of 2-mm thick CuO/Co/CF composites reaches − 42.7 dB at 10.8 GHz. ► RL of 1.3-2.2-mm CuO/Co/CF composites is less than − 10 dB in the 8.72-18 GHz range. ► Dielectric and magnetic losses lead to excellent microwave absorption.