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the electronic forces on the atomic scale driving chemical reactions and building molecules of any imaginable complexity, whose action is exerted in lengths below 0.3 nanometers; 2. the intermediate forces (van der Waals) providing intermolecular potentials, governing phase states, and ultimately capable to shape solids into crystals, rods, ocks, etc. by molecular self-assembly with eective lengths from 0.3 to some tens of nanometers [16, 17]; and 3. forces of capillary origin which appear on solid fragments when these can freely move in a liquid; since these forces are fundamentally proportional to the inverse of the characteristic length, they are particularly important in the nano- and micrometric scales [7]. While the rst originates from quantum mechanics and has an inherently large variability depending on the nature of the element in question, the second and third forces stem from global free energies of analogous nature and may yield structures showing fractality along several length scales. In this sense, crystals are the simplest paradigmatic cases where a basic structure can be repeated along length scales spanning up to 9 or 10 orders of magnitude [18]. In particular, there are well established methods to grow nanocrystals and nanostructures by molecular self-assembly in a controlled form from saturated atmospheres or solutions (e.g. [19, 20, 21, 22]) to yield functional nanomaterials of enormous technological potential. In general, structures formed by self-assembly dier signicantly from those originated from spherical shapes, not only in appearance but also and most importantly in functionality due to surface-to-volume dierences and geometrical features (shape) of individual particles or entities. The scientic literature is rich in results illustrating these facts (see [9, 23, 24] and references therein for examples in many dierent areas) where the main drivers are forces of the type (3) mentioned above, without entering in other surfacedependent complex molecular interactions. Moreover, in spite of the fact that liquid fragmentation followed by capillarity may yield spherical droplets, subsequent steps on the scale provided by the droplet may lead to other shapes after desolvation, curing, or freezing, and may involve crystallization. In reality, controlled liquid fragmentation in the form of droplets can be utilized as an ideal compartmentalization step in the synthesis of functional materials and APIs: liquid droplets are nearly perfect cages providing sharp size and material limits by dierential diusivity, among other eects, without using tangible barriers [25, 26, 27]. After desolvation or drying [28] (Fig. 2), 6

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