Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of hexagonal Mg(OH)2 nano-flake as a flame retardant

Uniform hexagonal Mg(OH)2 flake-like nanostructures were successfully prepared by a simple low-temperature hydrothermal reaction between Mg(NO3)2 and hydrazine hydrate without any further additives. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the product. It revealed that it was pure Mg(OH)2 with uniform, hexagonal and flake-like morphology. In-situ XRD investigation as well as DSC analysis showed that the Mg(OH)2 nano-flake was stable at 330 °C and decomposed to its oxide counterpart at about 370 °C. All these characteristics showed that the Mg(OH)2 nano-flake have promising application as a flame retardant.