Classification of nanostructures by dimensionality and concept of surface forms engineering in nanomaterial science

Abstract Various kinds of nanostructures are assayed and classified using dimensionality of the nanostructure itself and their components. Restricted set of nanostructure classes was suggested to build from the constituting elementary units, namely, 0D clusters and particles, 1D nanotubes and nanowires, 2D nanoplates and layers. Collection set of 36 main classes of nanostructures are presented, that in couple with size effects enable us to predict qualitatively the properties of nanostructured materials and nanoarchitectured nanodevises. Concept of “engineering of nanostructure surface forms” is advanced extending the concept of “grain boundaries engineering” in nanomaterial science and nanotechnology.