The inability to observe the rapid, initial transformations that dictate nanomaterial fate constitutes a fundamental scientific gap, forcing risk assessments to rely on retrospective, incomplete data. A paradigm shift to real-time, operando characterization is vital to build the predictive understanding required for the development of safe and sustainable nanomaterials and applications.
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Acknowledgements
S.C. acknowledges a UKRI NERC Independent Research Fellowship (grant number NE/B000187/1) and the support of Diamond Light Source, instruments B18 (proposals MG33674-1, SP35117-1 and SP35776-1), I18 (proposal SP40942-1), I14 (Proposal MG37789), and BAMLine at BESSY II, Berlin, Germany (Proposal number 252-13398-ST) for the conceptualization of this Comment. S.K.M. acknowledges Department of Science and Technology CRG funding (CRG/2019/006165). I.L. and S.K.M. acknowledge the Royal Society International Exchanges grant (IES\R2\232158).
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Chakraborty, S., Misra, S.K., Lead, J.R. et al. Capturing rapid nanomaterial transformations with cross-platform operando characterization. Nat Rev Mater (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00844-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-025-00844-9
