Nanostructures of diverse chemical nature are used as biomarkers, therapeutics, catalysts,
and structural reinforcements. The decoration with surfactants has a long history and is
essential to introduce specific functions. The definition of surfactants in this review is very
broad, following its lexical meaning “surface active agents”, and therefore includes
traditional alkyl modifiers, biological ligands, polymers, and other surface active molecules.
The review systematically covers covalent and non-covalent interactions of such surfactants …