Advanced Manufacturing on Nano- and Microscale

Micro- and nanostructures often display unique characteristics that significantly differ from those of bulk materials. The exploration of novel physical principles at these scales has driven the rapid evolution of diverse fabrication strategies. Advanced micro/nanomanufacturing techniques have not only expanded our capacity to probe fundamental physical, chemical, and biological processes, but have also accelerated the integration of miniaturized functionalities into optical, electronic, magnetic, mechanical, and acoustic systems. These fabrication methods, broadly classified into additive and subtractive approaches, encompass technologies such as electron beam lithography, focused ion beam processing, photolithography, direct laser writing (DLW) [1], nanoimprint lithography [2], solution-based synthesis [3], and self-assembly [3,4]. The material repertoire has expanded from conventional substrates such as silicon, metals, and polymers to include biomaterials and emerging two-dimensional materials [2,4,5]. The resulting structures span from intricate 2D/3D architectures to reconfigurable systems incorporating time-dependent behaviors [6]. Furthermore, the integration of multiple materials and processes into hybrid fabrication schemes has shown great promise in addressing the dual demands of precision and scalability, paving the way toward sustainable and cost-effective manufacturing for industrial-scale deployment.
Recent advancements in advanced materials and fabrication techniques have enabled transformative innovations across multiple domains. Bio-inspired manufacturing, such as nacre-like chitosan/CaCO₃ composites synthesized through room-temperature mineralization, demonstrates exceptional mechanical properties and underwater superoleophobicity [7]. Laser-based technologies, including femtosecond laser ablation of perovskites and optothermal spatiotemporal control of phase-separated liquids, achieve subwavelength patterning and functional complexity for photonic and biomedical applications [8,9]. Breakthroughs in additive manufacturing encompass enzyme-responsive hydrogel lasers for anti-counterfeiting, hierarchically self-assembled chiral microtoroids for light harvesting, and two-photon-polymerized luminescent microarchitectures for quantum sensing [10,11,12]. Nanomaterial synthesis innovations such as thermally activated ligand chemistry and direct optical patterning of perovskites enhance optoelectronic integration, while scalable microreactor systems enable green synthesis of nanoparticles and metal–organic frameworks [13,14,15]. Emerging interdisciplinary applications include functional textiles with glucose-sensing nanopatterns, artificial intelligence-driven material discovery for energy storage, and MXene/polyimide aerogels for ultra-broadband microwave absorption [16,17,18].