Courtesy of the researchers/Matter A graphic shows how a new transmission electron microscopy (TEM) method developed by researchers can provide a view into the polymerization of nanomaterials. Researchers can peer under the hood of the polymerization process at the nanoscale to create nanoparticles with new and valuable properties. Researchers have developed a new process that might unlock some of the mysteries of designing the future of “smart” materials. Scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Florida developed a new microscopy method that gives researchers a view into the polymerization process that occurs in material science to create nanoparticles with unprecedented capabilities.