  Phyllosilicates emerge as a promising class of large bandgap lamellar
insulators. Their applications have been explored from fabrication of
graphene-based devices to 2D heterostructures based on transition metal
dicalcogenides with enhanced optical and polaritonics properties. In this
review, we provide an overview on the use of IR s-SNOM for studying nano-optics
and local chemistry of a variety of 2D natural phyllosilicates. Finally, we
bring a brief update on applications that combine natural lamellar minerals
into multifunctional nanophotonic devices driven by electrical control.
