Recent progress and future prospects on aqueous foams stabilized based on clay minerals

Aqueous foams are widely used in food, pharmaceuticals and daily chemicals because of its green, safety, convenience and non-toxicity. Usually, aqueous foams are stabilized with various colloidal micro/nanoparticles such as silica, cellulose, lignin, protein, etc. Recently, clay minerals have attracted great interest in the design of aqueous foams due to their unique nanostructure, extensive reserves, low price and good biocompatibility. The diversity and complexity of clay minerals provided a broad range of options for the flexible design of aqueous foams and the relevant functional applications. However, there are obvious differences in the chemical and physical properties of different clay minerals, and the information on the aqueous foams stabilized with clay minerals is disorganized and lack of systematic review. In this review, the classification and characteristics of clay minerals are introduced in detail, and the research and application of various clay minerals in aqueous foam over the past two decades are comprehensively reviewed, and finally the current challenges and future opportunities of aqueous foam are put forward.