Nanoparticles of inorganic layered compounds, such as
WS2, were shown to be unstable in the planar form and, in
analogy to carbon nanoparticles, they form closed-cage
structures with polyhedral or nanotubular shapes. These
findings extend the paradigm of carbon fullerenes and
nanotubes to the field of inorganic chemistry, where
numerous examples for its validity have been documented
in recent years. Templated growth of nanotubes from
isotropic (3-D) compounds such as metal oxides and
chalcogenides was reported as well, but these nanotubes
are generally not perfectly crystalline. Various issues in
the structure, synthesis, and properties of such inorganic
nanotubular and fullerene-like structures are reviewed,
together with some possible applications.