Research progress of nanoparticles enhanced carbon dioxide foam stability and assisted carbon dioxide storage: A review

•The irreversible adsorption of NPs enhances foam stability.•Synergistic effect of NPs and surfactants on foam stability.•NPs-stabilized foams have good performance under harsh reservoir condition.•NPs-stabilized foams enhance CO2 storage by blocking macroporous throats.•NPs can reduce the risk of CO2 leakage. With the urgent need for energy and reduction of carbon emissions around the world, the use of carbon dioxide foam flooding in enhanced oil recovery and CO2 storage in underground geological structures have received extensive attention. However, as a thermodynamically unstable system, the stability of foam restricts its application in enhancing oil and gas recovery. Nanoparticles can be used as foam stabilizers to enhance the foam stability because of its special properties, thereby improving the effect of oil displacement and storage. Therefore, the use of nanoparticles to stabilize carbon dioxide foam has become a hot topic of current research. In this paper, the mechanism of nanoparticles in enhancing foam stability is reviewed. The effects of nanoparticle type, concentration, size and surface wettability, as well as the environmental factors such as temperature and pressure on stable foams is systematically analyzed. The mechanism of nanoparticles in enhancing carbon dioxide storage is clarified. Finally, the challenges and perspective of nanoparticles to enhance the stability of carbon dioxide foam and assist carbon dioxide storage are proposed, and the future research work is made clear.