During fabrication of lithium titanate by sol gel method What is the chemistry behind spherical shape formation of lithium titanate gel. when it is added drop wise in acetone mixed with urea.
For amorphous phases, spherical shape provides lowest energy/best stability, minimizing surface area
When the two components are not miscible or their surface tension do not match the droplet will try to acquire lowest possible surface area around it and the spherical droplet is the ideally suited.
Skrdla and Samui are both essentially correct. The traditional description is that the driving force is minimization of surface or interfacial free energy. It is also what drives a polycrystalline solid to become a single crystal. The rate of the process generally increases with temperature. Essentially, less surface or interface results in fewer unsatisfied bonds. The Wikipedia article is quite comprehensive: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_energy
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