Researchers from the University of Michigan have used a computer simulation to develop a method of chemically building nanoscale patterns on a surface. The patterns, which include neatly-positioned groups of wavy and straight lines, dots, boxes within boxes, and mixes of dots and lines, would be relatively inexpensive to produce and could form the basis for nanoscale machines.

To make the patterns, the researchers simulated the application of monolayers, or single-molecule layers of material, to an elastic substrate. Different materials self-assembled into different patterns.