The coacervation was performed in two different processes: coacervation in solution and during evaporation. In solution a high ionic strength is usually required to promote the liquidliquid phase separation (LLPS) process as it screens the ionic interactions of the peptides, reducing their solubility, and allowing the stickers to employ aromatic and hydrophobic interactions for the peptides to approach each other and coacervate (Figure ). The formed coacervates coalesce, indicating that they are liquid (Figure ). Cryo-SEM images of the coacervates also show coalescence of the droplets (Figures and). Additionally, very small coacervates at the size range of ~300 nm can be seen, which may indicate that the coacervation initiates with much smaller particles that coalesce until they reach the size of several microns observed in the microscope images. Despite the ability of the coacervates to coalesce, they appear to partially solidify while preserving their spherical shape. This can be seen by a fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements that show low fluorescence recovery of ~30%, indicating that the coacervates are solidifying in the solution (Figure ). Upon drying, the coacervates do not disassemble, but remain as spherical particles (Figures and). The solidification of the coacervates appeared to be accelerated at alkaline pH and at a high ionic strength. It is possible that the higher net charge of the peptides at acidic or neutral pH retains water molecules inside the coacervates, slowing the solidification process. Additionally, the high ionic strength may generate osmotic pressure that ejects the water from the coacervates, accelerating their solidification.