Doping Ce(OH)CO3 laminated dendrites with Fe, Co and Ni for defect steered wide-frequency microwave absorption

• A one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of Fe/Co/Ni-doped Ce(OH)CO 3 laminated dendrites. • Pioneering an Fe/Co/Ni atom induced vacancy engineering. • Elucidating the correlation between Fe doping amount and defects. • Revealing the absorption mechanism of Fe-doped CeOHCO 3 laminated dendrites. • Establishing the correlation between defects and microwave absorption properties. Defect engineering is a key strategy to modulate the properties of dielectric-dominated metal oxides. To ascertain the correlation between lattice/oxygen vacancy defects and microwave absorption properties (MWAPs), we herein developed a one-pot hydrothermal reaction to controllably synthesize Fe/Co/Ni-doped CeOHCO 3 laminated dendrites as defects steered wide-frequency absorbers for the first time. The crucial effect of dopants on their MWAPs has been investigated based on the morphology, composition, and defect features. Fe/Co/Ni doping restricts the growth of CeOHCO 3 nanosheets along the [1100], [0110], and [1010] directions, causing the morphology evolution from laminated dendrites to spherical aggregates. Meanwhile, the increase of lattice/oxygen vacancy defects with Fe doping amount causes a linear increase in M s and conductivity. Such changes improve the impedance matching and attenuation ability of CeOHCO 3 owing to the enhanced permeability and multiple polarizations. The optimal comprehensive MWAPs are achieved by 10%Fe-doped CeOHCO 3 laminated dendrites with an RL max of −47.22 dB at 2.4 GHz and an EAB max /d of 3.47 GHz/mm, much superior to those of most other absorbers. Our work not only enlightens the precise defect modulation in dielectric-type absorbers via metal atomic doping but creates a new research methodology to develop advanced microwave absorbents.