In this work, the core-shell structured Ni/SnO2 composites have been successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal deposition method (HDM). The crystal structure, morphology and electromagnetic (EM) properties of Ni/SnO2 composites were investigated. The effects of SnO32- and urea contents on the morphologies of final Ni/SnO2 samples were also considered. The microwave absorption properties of Ni microspheres are remarkably enhanced after coating whit SnO2 nanaoshells. Moreover, the microwave absorption properties of core-shell structured Ni/SnO2 composites can be tailored by tuning SnO2 contents. The results show that the Ni/SnO2 composites prepared at 0.017M SnO32- exhibit outstanding microwave absorption properties with a minimum reflection loss of -42.8 dB at 9.8 GHz with the corresponding thickness of 3.0 mm. The reflection loss below -10 dB can be obtained in a wide range of 5.8-18.0 GHz by adjusting the absorber thicknesses from 1.5 mm to 4.5 mm. The excellent microwave absorption properties are attributed to high magnetic loss, dielectric loss, multi-resonance and interfacial polarization of the core-shelled Ni/SnO2 composites. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.