Micropatterns of strap and farmland structures of polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) copolymer were obtained by drying the micelle solutions. The drying process of the solution was monitored by dynamic optical microscopy (OM) with a digital video camera. The surface structure of the micelle aggregations was studied by OM, scanning electron microscopy and Alpha-Step 200 profiler system. It is believed that solvent evaporation and micelle migration account for the observed micelle micropatterns. The potential application of the micropatterns is also addressed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.