Curved nanomaterials

Graphite is just an example of a layered material that can be bent to form fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. Moreover, there are other layered materials which also can acquire curvature to generate new nanomaterials with novel applications. It is shown here that the geometry of graphite can be extended to other layered compounds to propose and explain new nanostructures made of boron nitride, molybdenum and tungsten disulphides. Several graphitic shapes and their properties are reviewed as well as new forms such as nanocones and the hypothetical 'haeckelites' are also studied. Boron and nitrogen-doped graphitic arrangements promise important applications in electronic nanodevices. It is shown that the presence of curvature in layered nanostructures might play an important role in the XXI century nanotechnology.