Bio-based materials regulating interfacial behavior of multiphase systems during CO2 geological utilization and storage: A review

CO₂ geological utilization and storage involve complex multiphase interfacial behaviors that significantly influence the overall efficiency. Recently, bio-based materials have attracted increasing attention as promising candidates for interfacial regulation owing to their structural diversity, abundance, and environmental compatibility. This review summarizes recent advances in utilizing biomass-derived materials to regulate interfacial behaviors in subsurface multiphase systems. The relationship between interfacial behaviors and CO₂ utilization and sequestration is discussed under typical scenarios. Molecular structures, functional group characteristics, and environmental compatibility of bio-based materials are systematically reviewed. This article highlights the adsorption behaviors of bio-based molecules at liquid/liquid, solid/liquid, and gas/liquid interfaces, interfacial molecular arrangement and distribution, and spontaneous self-assembly behaviors. Effects of these materials on key interfacial properties including interfacial tension (IFT), wettability, and capillary forces are further analyzed. This study also examines some dynamic interfacial phenomena, such as the formation of multilamellar vesicle structures that accelerate mass transfer between phases, the synergistic interactions between nanoparticles and small biomolecules at solid-liquid interfaces under electrostatic forces, and the role of bio-based materials in promoting CO₂ transfer by providing additional adsorption sites. These insights offer new perspectives for fundamental understanding of interfacial mass transfer. Finally, the review outlines future research trends in studying the regulation of multiphase interfacial behaviors by bio-based materials, emphasizing the need for in situ microscopic characterization techniques to support their efficient application in CO₂ geological utilization and storage.