Preparation and Characterization of Micrometer-Sized “Egg Shells”

Ellipsoidal mesoscale “egg shells” (see Figure) have been prepared by a template-directed synthesis using a sol-gel precursor. TiO2 shells of micrometer sizes should have a great potential as containers in microencapsulation and their ellipsoidal shape should provide them with a range of interesting optical, mechanical, and hydrodynamic properties.