Ostwald ripening is a phenomenon that occurs in solid dispersions, emulsions, and other colloidal systems, where larger particles grow at the expense of smaller ones over time. This process is driven by differences in solubility and chemical potential between particles of different sizes. In a dispersed system, smaller particles tend to have a higher curvature (meaning they have a higher surface area relative to their volume) compared to larger particles.
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In Ostwald ripening, the higher interfacial chemical potential of small droplets drives diffusion toward larger droplets, increasing the characteristic domain size. The Gibbs--Thomson relation supplies the curvature-dependent surface value, while conserved order-parameter dynamics controls transport through the surrounding phase.