Molecular self-assembly is pervasive in the formation of living and synthetic materials. Knowledge gained from research into the principles of molecular self-assembly drives innovation in the biological, chemical, and materials sciences. Self-assembly processes span a wide range of temporal and spatial domains and are often unintuitive and complex. Studying such complex processes requires an arsenal of analytical and computational tools. Within this arsenal, the transmission electron microscope stands out for its unique ability to visualize and quantify self-assembly structures and processes. This review describes the contribution that the transmission electron microscope has made to the field of molecular self-assembly. An emphasis is placed on which TEM methods are applicable to different structures and processes and how TEM can be used in combination with other experimental or computational methods. Finally, we provide an outlook on the current challenges to, and opportunities for, increasing the impact that the transmission electron microscope can have on molecular self-assembly.

中文翻译：

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用透射电子显微镜仔细观察分子自组装

分子自组装在生物和合成材料的形成中普遍存在。从对分子自组装原理的研究中获得的知识推动了生物、化学和材料科学的创新。自组装过程跨越广泛的时间和空间域，通常不直观且复杂。研究如此复杂的过程需要大量的分析和计算工具。在这个武器库中，透射电子显微镜以其独特的可视化和量化自组装结构和过程的能力而脱颖而出。这篇综述描述了透射电子显微镜对分子自组装领域的贡献。重点放在了哪些 TEM 方法适用于不同的结构和工艺，以及如何将 TEM 与其他实验或计算方法结合使用。最后，我们展望了当前挑战和机遇，以增加透射电子显微镜对分子自组装的影响。