  Solid state impedance spectroscopy enables the various contributions to the
resistive and capacitive properties of electronically inhomogeneous condensed
matter to be deconvoluted and characterized separately. The different
contributions arise from electronically distinct areas in the sample, which can
in an ideal case be represented each by one standard RC element. In the
following, the basic principles of impedance spectroscopy, different types of
experimental setups and several examples of experimental impedance data sets
from nanostructured materials are reviewed and discussed. The data analysis and
equivalent circuit modelling processes which are relevant for the application
of this technique to nanomaterials are emphasized. The different dimensions and
structure of nanomaterials as compared to macroscopic bulk samples leads to
quite different and sometimes more complex data that require detailed analysis
and advanced equivalent circuit models.
