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. 2023 Oct 17;14:6552. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-42344-w

Fig. 1. Passive versus active droplets.

Fig. 1

a Phase separation close to thermodynamic equilibrium leads to spherical droplets. 1) A liquid droplet coexists with its surrounding dilute phase. 2) Interfacial surface tension decreases the surface area: droplets are spherical and coarsen. b An alternative morphology is described in this work: a liquid, spherical shell. 3) A core consisting of a liquid phase similar to the surrounding dilute phase. 4) A shell of liquid droplet material. 5) The unfavorable high-surface-area shell is sustained by the conversion of chemical energy.