In the mesoscale, or typical, world, machines are assembled a piece or component at a time. In the nanoscale world, molecular machines essentially have to grow themselves into useful configurations. The new Nanofabrication Research Laboratory at The Department of Energy's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak ridge National Laboratory has a clean room suite of instruments where researchers have already begun experiments to coax atoms and molecules to arrange into predictable and replicable configurations. The controlled-environment laboratory has some of the world's most advanced equipment for lithography, etching and analysis. The specialized tool set is helping researchers bridge the gap between the mesoscale and nanoscale. The nanoscience center research is supported by DOE's Office of Basic Energy Sciences.
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