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Nanostructures are materials or devices engineered at the nanoscale, typically ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers in at least one dimension. At this scale, materials exhibit unique physical, chemical, and biological properties that differ significantly from their bulk counterparts. These emergent properties arise from quantum mechanical effects and a high surface-area-to-volume ratio.

The fabrication of nanostructures can be achieved through various top-down and bottom-up approaches. Top-down methods involve carving or etching larger materials into smaller nanostructures, such as lithography or milling. Bottom-up methods build nanostructures atom by atom or molecule by molecule, including self-assembly, chemical synthesis, and molecular beam epitaxy.

Nanostructures find applications across a wide spectrum of fields. In electronics, they are crucial for developing smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices. In medicine, nanostructures are employed for targeted drug delivery, diagnostics, and imaging. They also play a role in catalysis, advanced materials science, energy storage and conversion, and sensors. Research continues to explore novel ways to design, synthesize, and utilize nanostructures for technological advancements and scientific discovery.