Reviews & Analysis

This PrimeView highlights experimental set-ups for performing x-ray diffraction in a grazing incidence geometry.

Structures of surfaces and thin films can be investigated by performing X-ray diffraction under grazing incidence conditions. This Primer explores how grazing incidence X-ray diffraction is used to obtain crystallographic information, including in situ characterization, data collection, analysis and visualization, across a range of applications.

This PrimeView highlights how artificial molecular pumps can be designed to harness an external energy source to accomplish a desired synthetic task.

Artificial molecular pumps are synthetic machines capable of performing complex tasks on a molecular scale. In this Primer, Zhang et al. discuss the design features and underlying fundamental physical principles of artificial molecular pumps.

This PrimeView highlights a typical treatment train for seawater reverse osmosis.

Fresh water can be produced from saline water using pressure-driven membrane desalination. This Primer explores how reverse osmosis and nanofiltration are used as energy-efficient desalination methods, with a focus on membrane development, characterization and performance modelling.

This PrimeView highlights how multivariate analysis can be used to analyse the entire spectral domain in Brillouin microscopy.

Brillouin microscopy is a non-contact method used for mechanical probing of cells and tissues. In this Primer, Kabakova et al. provide a comprehensive overview of the methods and applications of Brillouin microscopy.

This PrimeView highlights how the diversity, composition and clonal architecture of the adaptive immune receptor repertoire can be used in identifying disease states and response to treatment.

The adaptive immune receptor repertoire (AIRR) drives adaptive immune responses, which could determine disease outcomes, infectious disease and cancer. Mhanna, Bashour et al. outline the approaches and challenges in AIRR analysis, as well as future developments towards predicting adaptive immune responses.

This PrimeView highlights the different features of dielectric waveguides that can affect the reproducibility of waveguide-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Waveguide-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (WERS) exploits the electromagnetic enhancement that can be achieved at the surface of suitably designed waveguides to enhance Raman intensity. In this Primer, Ettabib et al. describe methods for data collection and quantitative analysis of waveguide-enhanced Raman spectra.

This PrimeView highlights applications of electrospun nanofibres

Ultra-fine nanofibres can be produced by manipulating polymer solutions, melts or suspensions with a strong electric field. This electrospinning process enables the properties of nanofibres to be tuned. In this Primer, electrospinning technology is explored, including the underlying principles, experimental techniques, characterization and applications in biomedicine, wearables and environmental purification.