Described herein are improved dewetting methods and improved patterned articles produced using such methods. The improved methods and articles generally implement continuous ultra-thin metal-containing films or film stacks as the materials to be dewetted. For example, a method can involve the steps of providing a substrate that has a continuous ultra-thin metal-containing film or film stack disposed on a surface thereof, and dewetting at least a portion of the continuous ultra-thin metal-containing film or film stack to produce a plurality of discrete metal-containing dewetted islands on the surface of the substrate.