Abstract: Kaolin is a natural clay mineral with a typical 1:1 layered silicate crystal structure. This paper firstly introduces the background, composition and physicochemical characteristics of kaolinite resources, and emphatically introduces the research status of kaolinite in three strategic emerging industries of energy conservation and environmental protection, biomedicine and new materials. The natural layered structure, abundant surface hydroxyl groups, large specific surface area and good biocompatibility provide a variety of options for the functional application of kaolin. With the development of science and technology and the progress of national society, the research on kaolinite will be more in-depth.Kaolin will be a strategic non-metallic mineral in the future and will have better application prospects in more fields.