Nanomaterials and nanostructures implanted on the surface of solid supports are currently receiving much interest and have become one of the most attractive topics in the interdisciplinary fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, surface science, material science, bioscience, supramolecular engineering, etc. This review presents some recent progress in how to implant the nanomaterials and nanostructures such as nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes and chiral nanostructures on the surface of certain supports and their potential application opportunities. It particularly focused on several sophisticated and typical strategies for the formulation of nanostructured surface, wherein the unique physicochemical and biochemical properties and potential application possibilities emerged. An outlook on the future trends and developments in this area is also proposed at the end of the article. (c) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.