University of Wisconsin-Madison and Hitachi have achieved higher data-storage density by using self-assembling block copolymers to shrink the size of the pattern manufacturing templates used in disk drives and other data-storage devices, paving the way to smaller electronic devices and higher-capacity hard drives.

When added to a lithographically patterned surface, the copolymers’ long molecular chains spontaneously assemble into the designated arrangements, down to the molecular level. The method offers precision, uniformity, and speed unattainable by traditional lithography-based methods alone and at lower cost.