Abstract: Coal spontaneous combustion is a serious threat for the production of coal mines. Application of inhibitors is one of widely used method to prevent coal spontaneous combustion. TG / DSC synchronous analyzer coupling with Fou- rier infrared spectrometer (FTIR) was employed to investigate the inhibiting effects of Zn1 Mg2 Al1 -CO3 -LDHs on coal spontaneous combustion. Inhibiting effects were evaluated from standpoints of quality, characteristics temperatures, thermal characteristics,and gases products during the process of coal spon-taneous combustion. Experimental results show that the endothermic effect resulted from pyrogenic decomposition of Zn1 Mg2 Al1 -CO3 -LDHs was the main reason that Zn1 Mg2 Al1 -CO3 -LDHs inhibited coal spontaneous combustion. The temperature corresponding to the maximum rate of dehydration and desorption,slow oxidation temperature,and temperature started to release heat could be in- creased by Zn1 Mg2 Al1 -CO3 -LDHs. Nevertheless,Zn1 Mg2 Al1 -CO3 -LDHs can reduce the maximum heat release pow- er of coal samples. Meanwhile,it can slightly promote the production of CO2 during the oxidation process. All of these results indicate that Zn1 Mg2 Al1 -CO3 -LDHs exhibited great inhibiting effects on coal spontaneous combustion.