A two-layer nanotape that includes a nanoribbon substrate and an oxide that is epitaxially deposited on a flat surface of the nanoribbon substrate is described. The oxide is deposited on the substrate using a pulsed laser ablation deposition process. The nanoribbons can be made from materials such as SnO.sub.2, ZnO, MgO, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, Si, GaN, or CdS. Also, the sintered oxide target can be made from materials such as TiO.sub.2, transition metal doped TiO.sub.2 (e.g., CO.sub.0.05Ti.sub.0.95O.sub.2), BaTiO.sub.3, ZnO, transition metal doped ZnO (e.g., Mn.sub.0.1Zn.sub.0.9O and Ni.sub.0.1Zn.sub.0.9O), LaMnO.sub.3, BaTiO.sub.3, PbTiO.sub.3, YBa.sub.2Cu.sub.3O.sub.z, or SrCu.sub.2O.sub.2 and other p-type oxides. Additionally, temperature sensitive nanoribbon/metal bilayers and their method of fabrication by thermal evaporation are described. Metals such as Cu, Au, Ti, Al, Pt, Ni and others can be deposited on top of the nanoribbon surface. Such devices bend significantly as a function of temperature and are suitable as, for example, thermally activated nanoscale actuators.