Imaging studies articles from across Nature Portfolio

Nitroxides are common probes and polarization transfer agents used in spectroscopy and imaging, however, reducing conditions limit their robustness. Here, the authors tune the conformation of the spirocyclic nitroxide ring by incorporating additional substituents, which enhances their stability under reducing conditions, and maintains long relaxation times in electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Bioresponsive hyperpolarized probes contain magnetic resonance signals that can be many orders of magnitude larger than those of common, thermally polarized probes. This Perspective discusses how bioresponsive hyperpolarized probes can be directly linked to biological events to give functional information, enabling the mapping of physiological processes and diseases in real time using magnetic resonance.

Laser-induced Coulomb explosion imaging allows the study of molecular geometries over time, but the results are often distorted by ultrafast motion during the ionizing laser pulse. Here, the authors film the rapid slingshot motion in D₂O that induces this distortion and elucidate the underlying mechanism of enhanced ionization.

The catalyst layer in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells involves the complex and crucial interplay between an ionomer network and metallic nanoparticles supported on carbons, but current methods are unable to describe it with high resolution. Now electron tomography at cryogenic temperatures and deep learning algorithms are used to provide quantitative three-dimensional imaging at nanometre resolution of a fuel cell catalyst layer structure.

The collagen present in rare prehistoric bones allows for their age to be estimated by radiocarbon dating, but this method is destructive towards these precious archaeological remains. Here, the authors report a non-destructive method based on near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to precisely localize the collagen preserved in parts of ancient specimens suitable for radiocarbon dating.