Enhanced electromagnetic absorption properties of reduced graphene oxide–polypyrrole with NiFe2O4 particles prepared with simple hydrothermal method

• The RGO–PPy–NiFe2O4 composites are synthesized via a simple two-step method.
• The average diameter of NiFe2O4 particles is in the range of 10–20 nm.
• The maximum reflection loss of the composites is −44.7 dB at 14.9 GHz.
• The absorption bandwidth exceeding −10 dB is 4.7 GHz with a thickness of 1.75 mm.

The ternary composites of reduced graphene oxide–polypyrrole–NiFe2O4 (RGO–PPy–NiFe2O4) were synthesized via a two-step method and the electromagnetic absorption properties were investigated. The average diameter of NiFe2O4 particles on RGO–PPy ranged from 10 to 20 nm. The results revealed that the electromagnetic absorption properties and the absorption bandwidth of RGO–PPy–NiFe2O4 are much better than RGO–PPy. The maximum reflection loss of RGO–PPy–NiFe2O4 is −44.7 dB at 14.9 GHz and the absorption bandwidth with the reflection loss below −10 dB is 4.7 GHz with a thickness of 1.75 mm. Furthermore, our strategy provides a feasible method to obtain the ternary composites with excellent electromagnetic absorption properties and wide absorption bandwidth for future investigators.