Candy-like mixture can print patterns on microscopic objects

A sugar mixture similar to hard candy studded with tiny metal discs or rings has been used to deposit patterns onto microscopic objects. This method of creating texture on small objects could be useful for biomedical robots or flexible electronics. To give microscopic robots or small electronic circuits more functionality, researchers often embellish their surfaces with patterns of even tinier objects, such as magnets. They often make these components on a flat, clean surface and then stamp them onto the bigger object. But accurately applying them in this way becomes difficult when the receiving objects are not smooth, says Gary Zabow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado.