“Engineered nanometer- and micrometer-scale structures have a vast array of uses in electronics, sensors and biomedical applications. Because these are difficult to fabricate, KAUST researchers are trying a bottom-up philosophy, which harnesses the natural forces between atoms and molecules such that microstructures form themselves. This approach, a departure from the usual top-down approach, involves the etching away of material to leave the desired sculpted structure behind; however, because this approach can be tricky, expensive and time consuming, KAUST researchers became motivated to find a new approach.”