Abstract: In a first embodiment, the invention relates to a method for nanoimprinting a pattern on a chalcogenide-glass substrate, comprising: (A) preparing a soft operational mold, the operational mold comprising an elastomeric matrix and a reinforcement, wherein the matrix is transparent to IR radiation, and the reinforcement is opaque to IR radiation, and the mold further includes a pattern to be replicated to the substrate; (B) placing the mold on a top surface of a chalcogenide-glass substrate to form a structure, and simultaneously applying (i) IR radiation to heat an area at a top surface of the substrate to a temperature T>Tg, where Tg is the glass transition temperature of chalcogenide-glass, and (ii) applying a controlled pressure on the mold to effect penetration to the top surface of the chalcogenide-glass substrate, thereby to replicate the pattern of the mold to the top surface of the substrate; and (C) separating the operational mold from the patterned substrate.