The advent of optical super-resolution microscopy (OSRM) over two decades ago has transformed light-mediated interrogation of systems down to the nanoscale. This innovative set of approaches to optics breaks the so-called diffraction limit of light (~200 nm), allowing for the first time to use optics in the far field to visualize behavior on nanoscopic length scales. While these visualization tools have rapidly found widespread use in biology and related fields, their implementation in materials and, more specifically, in polymer science has been far slower. To overcome possible barriers and highlight possible future directions, we herein present an introduction to OSRM for polymer scientists, beginning with an overview of relevant techniques and existing optical probes. We then show and examine the first examples of OSRM adaptation across major areas of polymer science, including: polymerization and structural characterization, self-assembly and solution behavior, bulk structure and behavior, crystallization, gel structure and behavior, phase transitions, and biofunctionality. We hope and anticipate that the discussions provided in this review will draw the attention of the polymer community to the capacities of these hitherto underexplored optical visualization techniques to further transform polymer science.

二十多年前，光学超分辨率显微镜（OSRM）的出现已将光介导的系统查询方式转变为纳米级。这套创新的光学方法打破了所谓的光的衍射极限（〜200 nm），首次允许在远场使用光学来可视化纳米级尺度的行为。尽管这些可视化工具已迅速在生物学和相关领域中得到广泛使用，但它们在材料（尤其是聚合物科学）中的实施却要慢得多。为了克服可能的障碍并突出可能的未来方向，我们在此为聚合物科学家介绍OSRM，从相关技术和现有光学探针的概述开始。然后，我们展示并检查OSRM在聚合物科学的主要领域中应用的第一个示例，包括：聚合和结构表征，自组装和溶液行为，本体结构和行为，结晶，凝胶结构和行为，相变和生物功能。我们希望并期望，本综述提供的讨论将引起聚合物界对这些迄今未充分探索的光学可视化技术进一步转变聚合物科学能力的关注。