Molecular scale resolution achieved in polymer nanoimprinting technique

Scientists using molds derived from carbon nanotubes have approached the ultimate resolution – defined by molecular scale dimensions – in a widely used polymer nanoimprinting technique. By accurately replicating features with nanometer dimensions, the technique could play future roles in fabricating structures in fields as diverse as microelectronics, nanofluidics and biotechnology.
Polymer nanoimprint lithography works by pressing a mold with embossed relief structures against a thin polymer film. Little is known, however, of the basic physics and chemistry that operate between the two surfaces at the molecular level, let alone how these interactions relate to resolution.