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The growing demand for resilient and low-carbon geotechnical infrastructure has intensified interest in clay-based nanostructures as next-generation soil stabilizers. Although many studies have examined individual nanoclays or specific stabilization outcomes, a unified multi-scale synthesis linking nanostructure geometry (0D, 1D, 2D), micro-mechanisms, and engineering performance remains largely absent. This review addresses this gap by evaluating allophane-type 0D nanoparticles, halloysite nanotubes and fibrous silicates (1D), and layered nanosheets of kaolinite, illite, and smectite (2D), emphasizing how their morphologies govern pozzolanic activity, electrostatic flocculation, double-layer modification, and microstructural densification. Microstructural evidence (SEM/TEM, XRD, MIP) shows that 0D nanoclays accelerate nucleation, 1D nanotubes enhance crack-bridging and fabric interlocking, and 2D nanosheets yield the strongest improvements in stiffness, compressibility, and hydraulic resistance. Hybrid nanoclay–SCM–polymer systems exhibit strong synergistic effects, enabling superior performance at low dosages (0.1–2 %) and reducing cement demand and carbon emissions, though nanoclay-specific LCAs and long-term field validations remain limited. Despite promising results, challenges persist regarding dispersion quality, natural compositional variability, and the lack of standardized mix-design or quantitative dispersion metrics. Advancing this field requires improved dispersion strategies, multi-scale mechanistic modeling, environmental durability assessments, and comprehensive LCAs to translate laboratory findings into reliable field solutions. Overall, 0D–2D clay nanostructures offer a robust and sustainable platform for next-generation soil stabilization, bridging nano-engineering mechanisms with durable, low-carbon geotechnical practices.
Diab et al. (Mon,) studied this question.