Mineral-SiO2 composites: synthesis methods and functional applications

Mineral-SiO 2 composites represent a versatile category of functional materials, combining natural abundance, structural variability, and cost-effectiveness of minerals with the adjustable physicochemical characteristics of SiO 2 . This review offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the fabrication approaches used to prepare mineral-SiO 2 composites. Various fabrication methods, such as mechano-chemical, chemical precipitation, sol–gel, microemulsion method, are systematically discussed in terms of their mechanisms, advantages, and limitations in controlling structure and interface. The resulting composites exhibit broad applicability across environmental remediation, heterogeneous catalysis, pigments, functional fillers, ceramic opacifiers, and advanced coatings such as superhydrophobic surfaces. Finally, current challenges, including relatively high cost of some of the preparation methods, limited scalability and reproducibility and narrow applicability are critically analyzed, and future perspectives are proposed accordingly, highlighting the importance of well-designed products preparation and specific application. This review aims to provide fundamental insights and strategic guidance for the rational development of next-generation mineral-SiO 2 composites.