Abstract
Coal spontaneous combustion causes both human casualties and environmental pollution. Owing to special flow behaviors, foam materials used in fire-fighting technology can effectively bring water and solid non-combustible substances into the fire-fighting area, greatly preventing spontaneous combustion. This paper systematically elucidates three foam materials, three-phase foam, gel foam and curing foam, and analyzes their physical and chemical inhibition mechanisms on coal spontaneous combustion. In particular, the preparation, performance and latest chemical modification methods of the foam materials are summarized in detail. It is found that foam materials with environmental friendliness, economy and excellent anti-fire performance need to be consistently explored. The primary application areas for cement-based foamed materials remain the building materials and civil engineering industries, and their modification should be studied accordingly based on the specific application context. Furthermore, a new component of foam materials, coal gasification slag (a solid waste), is proposed. In addition, the seepage properties of fire-fighting foam in porous media should be fully studied to accurately grasp the dispersion of foam materials in mine goafs. This review provides new insights and guidance for the development of fire-fighting foam materials.