ORNL's AI system arranges molecules atom-by-atom, working 25+ hours unattended

Scobleizer · x · 2026-09-04

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers published in ACS Nano a fully automated system where AI guides an ultra-sharp microscope tip to push single molecules across copper, building custom atom-scale patterns. The system worked autonomously for over 25 hours without a human operator — a task long too delicate and slow for manual work — opening paths to custom electronics and quantum materials.

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