A stepwise contraction and adsorption nanolithography (SCAN) patterning process can shrink complex microstructures (produced by current microfabrication technology) into the nanometer region. The basis of SCAN is to transfer a pre-engineered microstructure onto a extended elastomer. This extended elastomer is then allowed to relax, reducing the microstructure accordingly. The new miniaturized structure is then used as a stamp to transfer the structure onto another stretched elastomer. Through iterations of this procedure, patterns of materials with pre-designed geometry are miniaturized to the desired dimensions, including sub-100 ran. The simplicity and high throughput capability of SCAN make the platform a competitive alternative to other micro- and nanolithography techniques for potential applications in multiplexed sensors, non-binary optical displays, biochips, nanoelectronics devices, and microfluidic devices.