1 Introduction Topological insulators (TIs) are recently discovered quantum materials that are insulating in the bulk, but conductive on the surface [1][2][3]. Gapless surface states in TIs originate from strong spin-orbit coupling in the bulk, and exhibit special electronic property of spinmomentum locking due to time reversal symmetry. The exotic electronic nature of the TI surface states has garnered intense interests in this new class of materials and can be used to study several fundamental physical phenomena inaccessible in ordinary materials. The spinmomentum locking property of the TI surface states will undoubtedly be useful for a broad range of future electronic applications such as dissipationless transport, spintronics, and quantum computing.In this review, we follow the recent experimental research progress in TI nanostructures, and discuss various nanomaterial synthesis methods and notable transport measurements. Also, current materials challenges that hinder the easy access and control of the TI surface states are identified and unique solutions that TI nanostructures can provide to overcome these challenges are suggested. The