Electronic materials with nanoscale curved geometries

As the dimensions of a material shrink from an extended bulk solid to a nanoscale structure, size and quantum confinement effects become dominant, altering the properties of the material. Materials with nanoscale curved geometries, such as rolled-up nanomembranes and zigzag-shaped nanowires, have recently been found to exhibit a number of intriguing electronic and magnetic properties due to shape-driven modifications of charge motion or confinement effects. Local strain generated by curvature can also lead to changes in material properties due to electromechanical coupling. Here we review the development of electronic materials with nanoscale curved geometries. We examine the origin of shape-, confinement- and strain-induced effects and explore how to exploit these in electronic, spintronic and superconducting devices. We also consider the methods required to synthesize and characterize curvilinear nanostructures, and highlight key areas for the future development of curved electronics.