Hydrophobic magnesium hydroxide (MH) nanoparticles were prepared by a one-step synthesis method in a high-gravity environment generated by a novel impinging stream-rotating packed bed (IS-RPB) reactor. The reactant solutions were simultaneously and continuously pumped into the IS-RPB reactor, and then Tween 80 was added as a surface modifier. The morphology, structure, and properties of blank and hydrophobic MH were characterized. The effects of MH nanoparticles on the flame retardancy, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of PP/MH composites were also studied. We found that the obtained MH nanoparticles exhibited hexagonal lamella with a mean size of 30 nm, excellent hydrophobic properties (e.g, high water contact angle of 112 degrees), and improved thermal stability of MH. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) further showed that increased MH loading can significantly improve flame-retardant performance, which reached 29.3% for PP/MH composites with 30 wt% hydrophobic samples. The thermal stability and mechanical properties of the PP/MH composites with hydrophobic samples were also much higher than those of PP/MH composites with blank MH. Results showed that the one-step synthesis had high potential application in the large-scale production of hydrophobic MH nanoparticles. (C) 2018 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.