Ptychography computationally reconstructs high-resolution images from overlapping diffraction patterns, recovering both amplitude and phase information. This Primer covers the technique’s principles, ...

Atomic layer deposition is a surface-controlled chemical vapour deposition method that — depositing materials one atomic layer at the time — grants a high degree of control on the film thickness. This...

The Fourier transform is a mathematical tool for analysing signals that vary in space or time via a transform into the frequency domain. This Primer explores how the Fourier transform is used in analytical science, particularly for spectroscopic data, with an overview of theoretical and experimental considerations.

Laser-driven ultrafast tranmission electron microscopy (UTEM) approaches such as stroboscopic UTEM enable the study of ultrafast reversible processes at time resolutions at the femtosecond scale and beyond. This Primer focuses on stroboscopic UTEM, describing its experimental set-up and variants, and covers the various applications of this technique in condensed matter physics, including imaging structural dynamics, photo-induced near-field electron microscopy, attosecond-scale imaging, dark-field imaging and beyond.

Measurements of reaction efficiency have dominated green chemistry metrics. In this Comment article, James Clark argues for a holistic and simple-to-use approach to ensure meaningful impact and wide a...

This Primer highlights the key principles and recent advancements of flow biocatalysis, covering essential reactor designs, immobilization strategies and analytics. Practical industrial examples and g...

This Primer explores metal–organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) as a transformative technique for synthesizing wafer-scale 2D dichalcogenides. The MOCVD apparatus, the growth mechanism, process ...

This Primer provides a comprehensive road map into the experimental design, theory, data collection and interpretation of time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) experiments and variants for measuring th...

Kelvin probe force microscopy is an extension of atomic force microscopy used to measure electrical properties of materials such as conductive and semiconductive samples, including surface potential, ...

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Diversity oriented clicking (DOC) is an approach for creating a diverse range of molecules from click chemistry-reactive connective hubs. This Primer by Wang et al. covers the concepts behind DOC, the...

Surface plasmon resonance sensing enables the label-free detection of molecular interactions at metal surfaces and highly sensitive measurements of film thickness. Refractive index changes caused...

Acoustic tweezers use ultrasound waves for non-contact manipulation of particles and cells, offering high biocompatibility and safe handling of samples. Their various configurations enhance funct...

Discarded electronic waste is an environmental burden but holds promise as a sustainable source for manufacturing functional materials such as adsorbents, catalysts and electrodes. Addressing the chal...

Flow chemistry is a synthesis technique that uses pumps, tubing and connectors to control reactions spatially rather than temporally. This spatial control enables faster reaction times, better tempera...

Colloidal quantum dots are nanometre-sized semiconductors with unique, size-dependent, optoelectronic properties owing to quantum confinement. This Primer discusses various synthetic methods and chemi...

Size-exclusion chromatography coupled with multi-angle static light scattering allows for the separation of macromolecules or colloids in suspension and the determination of the molar mass of the comp...

Optical coherence elastography (OCE) is a technique that uses tomographic scans of tissue to retrieve information on its mechanical properties. By measuring shear and Young’s moduli, the elasticity of...

Photoluminescence microscopy can give information on the electronic properties of optoelectronic materials and thus the performance of optoelectronic devices. In this Primer, Wei et al. cover experime...

Photo-induced force microscopy enables nanoscale chemical imaging by detecting optically induced forces between a probe and a sample with sub-nanometre spatial resolution. Photo-induced force microsco...

Mechanochemistry is a method of forming chemical products through physical collisions between the milling media — such as small steel balls — and the reactants. Although small amounts of liquid can be...