Microscopy articles from across Nature Portfolio

Coherent Stokes Raman scattering (CSRS) has never been explored previously for chemical imaging due to a strong fluorescence background. Here, the authors demonstrate the first fluorescence-free CSRS laser scanning microscope and predict CSRS’ unique backscattering properties.

A study shows that water can control macroscopic properties of biological materials through the hydration force, giving rise to a distinct class of solid matter with unusual properties.

Nanopore engineering holds great promise for energy, DNA sequencing, and quantum information technologies, but pore evolution, particularly in presumably stable materials such as boron nitride, is largely unexplored. Here, the authors use high-resolution transmission electron microscopy to show that different nanopores formed in mono- and multi-layer hexagonal boron nitride are stable in vacuum but undergo dramatic changes in air.

This paper reviews recent advances that have pushed the boundary of far-field chemical microscopy in terms of spatial resolution as well as their applications in biomedical research, material characterization, environmental study, etc.

Characterizing diffusing species is increasingly important for revealing nanoscale processes. Here, the authors uncover the potential of fiber-assisted nanoparticle tracking analysis by characterizing nanoparticles as small as 9 nm at record precision levels, reaching fundamental limits.

Intracellular structures are mapped in human multiple myeloma cells through label-free chemical mapping at nanoscale resolution, yielding sub-diffraction images of the ER, mitochondria and nucleoli.