Fig. 6: Schematic illustration of the multi-step assembly pathway for Mg²⁺–ATP condensates.

The diagram depicts the progression of assembly with increasing Mg²⁺ concentration and effective charge neutralization. As the saturation concentration (C_sat) is lower than the percolation threshold (C_perc), the system undergoes phase separation coupled to percolation (PSCP), wherein the hydrated Mg²⁺–ATP nanoclusters act as precursor assembly intermediates prior to macroscopic phase separation. This hierarchical pathway determines the resulting condensate’s morphology and viscoelastic properties.