Search for: All records

Design and manufacturing processes that modify surfaces have seen rapid development in recent years ( 1 – 4 ). Besides aesthetics, these modifications can add new functionalities to an object. For example, the regular arrangement of modifications on a surface (periodic structuring) is used to create chemical sensors, cloaking devices, and optical fibers, among other tools ( 5 ). Despite the versatility of surface modification techniques, such as direct transfer, three-dimensional (3D) printing, and “wrapping,” there are limitations associated with properties of the functional components and target objects, as well as from the desired deposition patterns. On page 894 of this issue, Zabow ( 6 ) presents a relatively simple approach for transferring arrays of diverse functional components onto objects with complex 3D geometries. The method uses a familiar material—table sugar—in a “reflow” process that leverages sugar’s melting and dissolving properties to create a flowable “stamp.”