Step-by-Step Growth of Complex Oxide Microstructures.

The synthesis of complex and hybrid oxide microstructures is of fundamental interest and practical applications. However, the design and synthesis of such structures is a challenging task. A solution-phase process to synthesize complex silica and silica-titania hybrid microstructures was developed by exploiting the emulsion-droplet-based step-by-step growth featuring shape control. The strategy is robust and can be extended to the preparation of complex hybrid structures consisting of two or more materials, with each having its own shape.