ABSTRACT
Microscopy and other characterization techniques play a pivotal role in materials science. After the synthesis or formulation of a new material, it is imperative to understand the properties and key features of this new product to verify if the intended material has been created and to obtain quantitative information about its physicochemical properties. Moreover, imaging techniques are crucial to understand the functioning of materials in situ (i.e., in the context of its application). This is growing in importance because complex and dynamic materials can now be synthesized that pose a real challenge toward their understanding. This has reached the point at which understanding and characterization are the main hurdles that stop the development of new materials rather than our ability to synthesize them. Therefore, the quote from the 2002 Nobel Prize Sydney Brenner, “progress in science depends on new techniques, new discoveries and new ideas, probably in that order” cannot be more timely in our field.
