The regular and well-dispersed NaAl(OH)(2)CO3 whiskers were successfully synthesized via facile hydrothermal route using aluminium isopropoxide and NaHCO3. The effects of reactants and reaction temperature on the structure and morphology of NaAl(OH)(2)CO3 whiskers have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) were employed to characterize the synthesized samples. Most NaAl(OH)(2)CO3 whiskers possess an average diameter of about 500 nm and lengths ranging from 10 to 30 mu m. NaAl(OH)(2)CO3 whiskers exhibit excellent flame retardant performance and mechanical strength in poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) matrix (EVA). Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.