Microwave heating promises numerous benefits over conventional heating including rapid thermal ramps, energy transfer rather than heat transfer, material selectivity, and improved automation and safety. This set of advantages has led to growing application in industrial processes. Currently, use of microwave heating is restricted because many materials of interest have poor dielectric loss properties and therefore respond poorly to microwave radiation. For this reason, nanostructured materials with high dielectric loss constants that can absorb microwave energy and convert it to heat are desired. Combination of the nanoscale receptors with base materials offers the opportunity to create composites with a high dielectric loss factor. This review covers the development of nanostructured microwave receptors and their applications. The structure of microwave receptors and their compatibility with the base material have a significant effect on the final dielectric properties. Therefore, various nanostructured microwave receptors, their surface modification, and the effect of the interface between the nanostructured receptors and the base materials are reviewed. Fundamental aspects of dielectric materials and their role in dielectric performance are discussed. Finally, key challenges, directions for further studies, and some promising nanostructured microwave receptors are suggested. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.