In surface science, research traditionally employs macroscopically flat surfaces of single crystals. Curved surfaces have been applied more sporadically, but their history stretches back for many decades. Realization of the potential benefits and practical applications in surface physics and surface chemistry research progressed slowly in the 20th century. In more recent decades, research employing partial cylinders and dome-shaped crystals have found renewed interest. Modern surface sensitive techniques are being employed allowing the inherent large range of surface structures to reveal new insights. We briefly review the history, describe several types of surfaces and the range of structures they contain, suggest a notation for common types of curved surfaces, and discuss recent studies in more detail. We mainly focus on metal samples. We close with a short outlook.

在表面科学中，研究传统上采用宏观平坦的单晶表面。曲面的应用更为零星，但它们的历史可以追溯到几十年前。20 世纪，表面物理和表面化学研究的潜在益处和实际应用的实现进展缓慢。在最近的几十年里，使用部分圆柱体和圆顶形晶体的研究重新引起了人们的兴趣。正在采用现代表面敏感技术，允许固有的大范围表面结构揭示新的见解。我们简要回顾了历史，描述了几种类型的曲面及其包含的结构范围，建议了常见曲面类型的符号，并更详细地讨论了最近的研究。我们主要专注于金属样品。