Here we explore the range of serial sectioning techniques that have evolved over the past decade, providing a comprehensive toolkit for capturing rich 3D microstructures, chemistries and crystallographic information, with sub-micron resolution at volumes that extend out to mm³ or even cm³. In each case we consider the challenges associated with their application, the volumes they can analyze, the damage to the surface they impart, and their suitability for different materials. In certain cases these warrant hybrid methods, motivating workflows that leverage multiple sectioning modes within the same instrument. Finally, we provide a perspective on their future development, including advances in data collection, segmentation, registration, data fusion, and correlative microscopy. Furthermore, the exploitation of 3D techniques for a better understanding of existing materials, and the design of new ones, is discussed through their use in multiscale modelling, digital twinning, material informatics and machine learning frameworks.

在这里，我们探索了在过去十年中发展起来的一系列连续切片技术，为捕获丰富的3D微结构，化学和晶体学信息提供了一个全面的工具包，其亚微米分辨率的体积扩展到了mm ³甚至cm ³。在每种情况下，我们都要考虑与应用有关的挑战，可以分析的体积，对表面造成的损坏以及它们对不同材料的适用性。在某些情况下，这些方法需要使用混合方法，从而可以激发在同一仪器内利用多种切片模式的工作流程。最后，我们提供了有关它们未来发展的观点，包括数据收集，分割，配准，数据融合和相关显微镜方面的进展。此外，通过在多尺度建模，数字孪生，材料信息学和机器学习框架中使用3D技术，以更好地了解现有材料和设计新材料，讨论了3D技术的开发。