Linking Catalyst-Coated Isotropic Colloids into "Active" Flexible Chains Enhances Their Diffusivity

Synthesis and Characterization of Monolayer Colloidal Sheets

Sheet-like colloidal assemblies represent model systems to investigate the structure and properties of two-dimensional materials. Here, we report a simple yet versatile method for the preparation of colloidal monolayer sheet-like assemblies that affords control over the size, crystalline order, flexibility, and defect density. The protocol that we report relies on self-assembly of colloids as a sessile drop of dispersion is evaporated on an oil-covered substrate. In this case, the contact line continually moves as the drop shrinks. Polyethyleneimine polymer-covered micrometer-sized colloidal particles are transported to the air-water interface and assemble to form a monolayer sheet as the drop dries. Cross-linking the polymer renders the colloidal assembly permanent. Interestingly, monodisperse colloidal particles form disordered assemblies when dried from low concentration dispersions, while polycrystalline ordered assemblies form at higher concentrations. We demonstrate that increasing the cross-linker to polymer ratio decreases the flexibility of the assembly. Introduction of different-sized colloidal particles in a sheet leads to increased disorder. Removal of sacrificial particles from the sheet allowed the introduction of "holes" in the sheets. Thus, these colloidal sheets are models for probing the effects of disorder, doping, and vacancies in two-dimensional systems.

Activity-induced stiffness, entanglement network and dynamic slowdown in unentangled semidilute polymer solutions

Active polymers possess numerous unique properties that are quite different from those observed in the system of small active molecules due to the intricate interplay between their activity and topological constraints. This study focuses on the conformational changes induced by activity, impacting effective stiffness and crucially influencing entanglement and dynamics. When the two terminals of a linear chain undergo active modification through coupling to a high-temperature thermal bath, there is a substantial increase in chain size, indicating a notable enhancement in effective stiffness. Unlike in passive semiflexible chains where stiffness predominantly affects local bond angles, activity-induced stiffness manifests at the scale of tens of monomers. While activity raises the ambient temperature, it significantly decreases diffusion by over an order of magnitude. The slowdown of the dynamics observed can be attributed to increased entanglement due to chain elongation.

Emergent dynamics due to chemo-hydrodynamic self-interactions in active polymers

The field of synthetic active matter has, thus far, been led by efforts to create point-like, isolated (yet interacting) self-propelled objects (e.g. colloids, droplets, microrobots) and understanding their collective dynamics. The design of flexible, freely jointed active assemblies from autonomously powered sub-components remains a challenge. Here, we report freely-jointed active polymers created using self-propelled droplets as monomeric units. Our experiments reveal that the self-shaping chemo-hydrodynamic interactions between the monomeric droplets give rise to an emergent rigidity (the acquisition of a stereotypical asymmetric C-shape) and associated ballistic propulsion of the active polymers. The rigidity and propulsion of the chains vary systematically with their lengths. Using simulations of a minimal model, we establish that the emergent polymer dynamics are a generic consequence of quasi two-dimensional confinement and auto-repulsive trail-mediated chemical interactions between the freely jointed active droplets. Finally, we tune the interplay between the chemical and hydrodynamic fields to experimentally demonstrate oscillatory dynamics of the rigid polymer propulsion. Altogether, our work highlights the possible first steps towards synthetic self-morphic active matter.

Characteristic features of self-avoiding active Brownian polymers under linear shear flow

We present Brownian dynamics simulation results of a flexible linear polymer with excluded-volume interactions under shear flow in the presence of active noise. The active noise strongly affects the polymer's conformational and dynamical properties, such as the stretching in the flow direction and compression in the gradient direction, shear-induced alignment, and shear viscosity. In the asymptotic limit of large activities and shear rates, the power-law scaling exponents of these quantities differ significantly from those of passive polymers. The chain's shear-induced stretching at a given shear rate is reduced by active noise, and it displays a non-monotonic behavior, where an initial polymer compression is followed by its stretching with increasing active force. The compression of the polymer in the gradient direction follows the relation ∼WiPe-3/4 as a function of the activity-dependent Weissenberg number WiPe, which differs from the scaling observed in passive systems ∼WiPe-1/2. The flow-induced alignment at large Péclet numbers Pe ≫ 1, where Pe is the Péclet number, and large shear rates WiPe ≫ 1 displays the scaling behavior WiPe-1/2, with an exponent differing from the passive value -1/3. Furthermore, the polymer's zero-shear viscosity displays a non-monotonic behavior, decreasing in an intermediate activity regime due to excluded-volume interactions and increasing again for large Pe. Shear thinning appears with increasing Weissenberg number with the power-laws WiPe-1/2 and WiPe-3/4 for passive and active polymers, respectively. In addition, our simulation results are compared with the results of an analytical approach, which predicts quantitatively similar behaviors for the various aforementioned physical quantities.

Worm blobs as entangled living polymers: from topological active matter to flexible soft robot collectives

Recently, the study of long, slender living worms has gained attention due to their unique ability to form highly entangled physical structures, exhibiting emergent behaviors. These organisms can assemble into an active three-dimensional soft entity referred to as the "blob", which exhibits both solid-like and liquid-like properties. This blob can respond to external stimuli such as light, to move or change shape. In this perspective article, we acknowledge the extensive and rich history of polymer physics, while illustrating how these living worms provide a fascinating experimental platform for investigating the physics of active, polymer-like entities. The combination of activity, long aspect ratio, and entanglement in these worms gives rise to a diverse range of emergent behaviors. By understanding the intricate dynamics of the worm blob, we could potentially stimulate further research into the behavior of entangled active polymers, and guide the advancement of synthetic topological active matter and bioinspired tangling soft robot collectives.

Conformation and dynamics of an active filament in crowded media

The structural and dynamical properties of active filamentous objects under macromolecular crowding have a great relevance in biology. By means of Brownian dynamics simulations, we perform a comparative study for the conformational change and diffusion dynamics of an active chain in pure solvents and in crowded media. Our result shows a robust compaction-to-swelling conformational change with the augment of the Péclet number. The presence of crowding facilitates self-trapping of monomers and, thus, reinforces the activity mediated compaction. In addition, the efficient collisions between the self-propelled monomers and crowders induce a coil-to-globulelike transition, indicated by a marked change of the Flory scaling exponent of the gyration radius. Moreover, the diffusion dynamics of the active chain in crowded solutions demonstrates activity-enhanced subdiffusion. The center of mass diffusion manifests rather new scaling relations with respect to both the chain length and Péclet number. The interplay of chain activity and medium crowding provides a new mechanism to understand the non-trivial properties of active filaments in complex environments.

Rectification of polymer translocation through nanopores by nonchiral and chiral active particles

We study translocation of a flexible polymer chain through a membrane pore under the influence of active forces and steric exclusion using Langevin dynamics simulations within a minimal two-dimensional model. The active forces on the polymer are imparted by nonchiral and chiral active particles that are introduced on one side or both sides of a rigid membrane positioned across the midline of a confining box. We show that the polymer can translocate through the pore to either side of the dividing membrane in the absence of external forcing. Translocation of the polymer to a given side of the membrane is driven (hindered) by an effective pulling (pushing) exerted by the active particles that are present on that side. The effective pulling results from accumulation of active particles around the polymer. This crowding effect signifies persistent motion of active particles causing prolonged detention times for them close to the confining walls and the polymer. The effective pushing that hinders the translocation, on the other hand, results from steric collisions that occur between the polymer and active particles. As a result of the competition between these effective forces, we find a transition between two rectified cis-to-trans and trans-to-cis translocation regimes. This transition is identified by a sharp peak in the average translocation time. The effects of active particles on the transition is studied by analyzing how the translocation peak is regulated by the activity (self-propulsion) strength of these particles, their area fraction, and chirality strength.

Facilitated dynamics of an active polymer in 2D crowded environments with obstacles

Understanding the behaviors of a single active chain in complex environments is not only an interesting topic in non-equilibrium physics but also has applicative implications in biological/medical engineering. In this work, by using molecular simulations, we systematically study the dynamical and conformational behaviors of an active polymer in crowded environments, i.e., a single active chain confined in 2D space with randomly arranged obstacles. We found that the competition between the chain's activity and rigidity in the presence of obstacles leads to many interesting dynamical and conformational states, such as the diffusive expanded state, the diffusive collapsed state, and the localized collapsed state. Importantly, we found a counter-intuitive phenomenon, i.e., crowded environments facilitate the diffusion of the active polymer within a large parameter space. As the crowdedness (packing fraction of obstacles) increases, the parameter space in which crowding-enhanced diffusion occurs still remains. This abnormal dynamics is attributed to a structural reason that the obstacles prevent active chains from collapsing. Our findings capture some generic features of active polymers in complex environments and provide insights into the design of novel drug delivery systems.

Activity mediated globule to coil transition of a flexible polymer in a poor solvent

Understanding the role of self-propulsion on the conformational properties of active filamentous objects has relevance in biology. In this work, we consider a flexible bead-spring model for active polymers with both attractive and repulsive interactions among the non-bonded monomers. The activity for each monomer works along its intrinsic direction of self-propulsion which changes diffusively with time. We study its kinetics in the overdamped limit, following quenching from good to poor solvent conditions. We observe that with low activities, though the kinetic pathways remain similar, the scaling exponent for the relaxation time of globule formation becomes smaller than that for the case with no activity. Interestingly, for higher activities when self-propulsion dominates over interaction energy, the polymer conformation becomes extended coil-like. There, in the steady state, the variation of the spatial extension of the polymer, measured via its gyration radius, shows two completely different scaling regimes: the corresponding Flory exponent ν changes from 1/3 to 3/5 similar to a transition of the polymer from a globular state to a self-avoiding walk. This can be explained by an interplay among the three energy scales present in the system, viz., the "ballistic", thermal, and interaction energy.

Chain Assembly Kinetics from Magnetic Colloidal Spheres

Magnetic colloidal chains are a microrobotic system with promising applications due to their versatility, biocompatibility, and ease of manipulation under magnetic fields. Their synthesis involves kinetic pathways that control chain quality, length, and flexibility, a process performed by first aligning superparamagnetic particles under a one-dimensional magnetic field and then chemically linking them using a four-armed maleimide-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol). Here, we systematically vary the concentration of the poly(ethylene glycol) linkers, the reaction temperature, and the magnetic field strength to study their impact on the physical properties of synthesized chains, including the chain length distribution, reaction temperature, and bending modulus. We find that this chain fabrication process resembles step-growth polymerization and can be accurately described by the Flory-Schulz model. Under optimized experimental conditions, we have successfully synthesized long flexible colloidal chains with a bending modulus, which is 4 orders of magnitude smaller than previous studies. Such flexible and long chains can be folded entirely into concentric rings and helices with multiple turns, demonstrating the potential for investigating the actuation, assembly, and folding behaviors of these colloidal polymer analogues.

1D Colloidal chains: recent progress from formation to emergent properties and applications

Integrating nanoscale building blocks of low dimensionality (0D; i.e., spheres) into higher dimensional structures endows them and their corresponding materials with emergent properties non-existent or only weakly existent in the individual building blocks. Constructing 1D chains, 2D arrays and 3D superlattices using nanoparticles and colloids therefore continues to be one of the grand goals in colloid and nanomaterial science. Amongst these higher order structures, 1D colloidal chains are of particular interest, as they possess unique anisotropic properties. In recent years, the most relevant advances in 1D colloidal chain research have been made in novel synthetic methodologies and applications. In this review, we first address a comprehensive description of the research progress concerning various synthetic strategies developed to construct 1D colloidal chains. Following this, we highlight the amplified and emergent properties of the resulting materials, originating from the assembly of the individual building blocks and their collective behavior, and discuss relevant applications in advanced materials. In the discussion of synthetic strategies, properties, and applications, particular attention will be paid to overarching concepts, fresh trends, and potential areas of future research. We believe that this comprehensive review will be a driver to guide the interdisciplinary field of 1D colloidal chains, where nanomaterial synthesis, self-assembly, physical property studies, and material applications meet, to a higher level, and open up new research opportunities at the interface of classical disciplines.

Effects of alignment activity on the collapse kinetics of a flexible polymer

The dynamics of various biological filaments can be understood within the framework of active polymer models. Here we consider a bead-spring model for a flexible polymer chain in which the active interaction among the beads is introduced via an alignment rule adapted from the Vicsek model. Following quenching from the high-temperature coil phase to a low-temperature state point, we study the coarsening kinetics via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the Langevin thermostat. For the passive polymer case the low-temperature equilibrium state is a compact globule. The results from our MD simulations reveal that though the globular state is also the typical final state in the active case, the nonequilibrium pathways to arrive at such a state differ from the picture for the passive case due to the alignment interaction among the beads. We notice that deviations from the intermediate "pearl-necklace"-like arrangement, which is observed in the passive case, and the formation of more elongated dumbbell-like structures increase with increasing activity. Furthermore, it appears that while a small active force on the beads certainly makes the coarsening process much faster, there exists a nonmonotonic dependence of the collapse time on the strength of active interaction. We quantify these observations by comparing the scaling laws for the collapse time and growth of pearls with the passive case.

Simulating wet active polymers by multiparticle collision dynamics

The conformational and dynamical properties of active Brownian polymers embedded in a fluid depend on the nature of the driving mechanism, e.g., self-propulsion or external actuation of the monomers. Implementations of self-propelled and actuated active Brownian polymers in a multiparticle collision (MPC) dynamics fluid are presented, which capture the distinct differences between the two driving mechanisms. The active force-free nature of self-propelled monomers requires adaptations of the MPC simulation scheme, with its streaming and collision steps, where the monomer self-propulsion velocity has to be omitted in the collision step. Comparison of MPC simulation results for active polymers in dilute solution with results of Brownian dynamics simulations accounting for hydrodynamics via the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa tensor confirm the suitability of the implementation. The polymer conformational and dynamical properties are analyzed by the static and dynamic structure factor, and the scaling behavior of the latter with respect to the wave number and time dependence are discussed. The dynamic structure factor displays various activity-induced temporal regimes, depending on the considered wave number, which reflect the persistent diffusive motion of the whole polymer at small wave numbers, and the activity-enhanced internal dynamics at large wave numbers. The obtained simulation results are compared with theoretical predictions.

Rigidity Dictates Spontaneous Helix Formation of Thermoresponsive Colloidal Chains in Poor Solvent

The formation of helical motifs typically requires specific directional interactions. Here, we demonstrate that isotropic interparticle attraction can drive self-assembly of colloidal chains into thermo-reversible helices, for chains with a critical level of backbone rigidity. We prepare thermoresponsive colloidal chains by cross-linking PNIPAM microgel-coated polystyrene colloids ("monomers"), aligned in an AC electric field. We control the chain rigidity by varying cross-linking time. Above the LCST of PNIPAM, there is an effective attraction between monomers so that the colloidal chains are in a bad solvent. On heating, the chains decrease in size. For the most rigid chains, the decrease is modest and is not accompanied by a change in shape. Much less rigid chains form relatively compact structures, resulting in a large increase in the local monomer density. Unusually, chains with intermediate rigidity spontaneously assemble into helical structures. The chain helicity increases with temperature and plateaus above the collapse transition temperature of the microgel particles. We simulate a minimal model that captures the spontaneous emergence of the helical conformations of the polymeric chain and provides insight into this shape transition. Our work suggests that a purely mechanical instability for semiflexible filaments can drive helix formation, without the need to invoke directional interactions.

Revealing viscoelastic bending relaxation dynamics of isolated semiflexible colloidal polymers

The viscoelastic properties of filaments and biopolymers play a crucial role in soft and biological materials from biopolymer networks to novel synthetic metamaterials. Colloidal particles with specific valency allow mimicking polymers and more complex molecular structures at the colloidal scale, offering direct observation of their internal degrees of freedom. Here, we elucidate the time-dependent viscoelastic response in the bending of isolated semi-flexible colloidal polymers, assembled from dipatch colloidal particles by reversible critical Casimir forces. By tuning the patch-patch interaction strength, we adjust the polymers' viscoelastic properties, and follow spontaneous bending modes and their relaxation directly on the particle level. We find that the elastic response is well described by that of a semiflexible rod with persistence length of order 1000 μm, tunable by the critical Casimir interaction strength. We identify the viscous relaxation on longer timescales to be due to internal friction, leading to a wavelength-independent relaxation time similar to single biopolymers, but in the colloidal case arising from the contact mechanics of the bonded patches. These tunable mechanical properties of assembled colloidal filaments open the door to "colloidal architectures", rationally designed (network) structures with desired topology and mechanical properties.

Colloidal assembly by directional ice templating

We investigate directional ice templating of dilute aqueous colloidal particle dispersions and examine the nature of the assemblies that result. We coat micron-size polystyrene colloids with cross-linkable polymer (polyethyleneimine, PEI), add cross-linker, and subject this dispersion to unidirectional freezing. We work at sufficiently low colloid concentrations, such that the particles do not percolate on freezing. When the aqueous dispersion freezes, ice crystals force polymer-coated particles and cross-linker into close proximity. This results in the formation of cross-linked clusters of particles at ice crystal boundaries. We vary the particle volume fraction from φ ∼ 2.5 × 10-3 to φ ∼ 5.0 × 10-2 and observe that there is a transition from isolated single particles to increasingly large sized clusters. Most of the clusters formed under these conditions are either linear, two-particle wide chains, or sheet-like aggregates. The probability (Pn) of clusters containing n particles (n > 2) obeys a power law Pn ∼ n-η, where η strongly depends on the particle concentration in the dispersion, varying from 2.10 (for φ ∼ 5.0 × 10-2) to 3.03 (for φ ∼ 2.5 × 10-3). This change in η is qualitatively different from the case of isotropic freezing, where η is particle concentration-independent and depends only on the ice nucleation density. To understand the differences between isotropic and directional ice templating, we performed lattice simulations of a highly simplified model, where ice crystals grow at a constant rate to force clustering. We ignore hydrodynamic interactions and ice growth instabilities. Despite ignoring these experimental details, the simulations capture the experimental results, nearly quantitatively. As the ice crystals grow and the space available to the colloids "closes up" so that the particles cluster to form aggregates, crystallization protocol-induced differences in the geometry of these "closed up" spaces determine the scaling behaviour of Pn.

The Mimic Enzyme Properties of Au@PtNRs and the Detection for Ascorbic Acid Based on Their Catalytic Properties

Being superior to natural enzymes, nanoenzymes are drawing a great deal of attention in the field of biosensing. Herein, we developed an ultrasensitive, stable and selective colorimetric assay having dual functionalities of Au-tipped Pt nanorods (NRs). The optical and catalytic properties of Au-tipped Pt NRs were monitored using a spectrophotometer and the chromogenic substrate 3, 3′, 5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2, respectively. We found that Au-tipped Pt NRs exhibited excellent peroxidase-like activity, which decomposed hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen (O2). The produced O2 oxidized the chromogenic substrate into a blue color product. The oxidation rate of the chromogenic substrate could be monitored using a spectrophotometer at 652 nm. Notably, the peroxidase-like activity of Au-tipped Pt NRs decreased in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA). The produced O2 preferentially reacted with AA, generating ascorbyl radicals (AA·) instead of oxidizing TMB, and thereby decreased the oxidation rate of TMB. Based on this inhibitory property, a selective colorimetric assay was developed using Au-tipped Pt NRs for the detection of AA. This work offers a novel detection method for AA.

Transient helix formation in charged semiflexible polymers without confinement effects

Switching on generic interactions e.g. the Coulomb potential or other long ranged spherically symmetric repulsive interactions between monomers of bead-spring model of a semi-flexible polymer induce instabilities in a semiflexible polymer chain to form transient helical structures. Our proposed mechanism could explain the spontaneous emergence of helical order in stiff (bio-) polymers as a chain gets charged from a neutral state. But since the obtained helical structures dissolve away with time, hydrogen bonding (or other additional mechanisms), would be required to form stabilized helical structures as observed in nature (such as in biological macro-molecules). The emergence of the helix is independent of the molecular details of the monomer constituent. The key factors which control the emergence of the helical structure is the persistence length and the charge density. We have avoided using torsional potentials to obtain the transient helical structures. Moreover, we can drive the semiflexible polymer to form helices in a recurring manner by periodically increasing and decreasing the effective charge of the monomers. If the two polymer ends are tethered to two surfaces separated by a distance equal to the contour length of the polymeric chain, which could be in the range 10 nm-μ, the life time of the helical structures formed is increased.

Anisotropic dynamics of a self-assembled colloidal chain in an active bath

Anisotropic macromolecules exposed to non-equilibrium (active) noise are very common in biological systems, and an accurate understanding of their anisotropic dynamics is therefore crucial. Here, we experimentally investigate the dynamics of isolated chains assembled from magnetic microparticles at a liquid-air interface and moving in an active bath consisting of motile E. coli bacteria. We investigate both the internal chain dynamics and the anisotropic center-of-mass dynamics through particle tracking. We find that both the internal and center-of-mass dynamics are greatly enhanced compared to the passive case, i.e., a system without bacteria, and that the center-of-mass diffusion coefficient D features a non-monotonic dependence as a function of the chain length. Furthermore, our results show that the relationship between the components of D parallel and perpendicular with respect to the direction of the applied magnetic field is preserved in the active bath compared to the passive case, with a higher diffusion in the parallel direction, in contrast to previous findings in the literature. We argue that this qualitative difference is due to subtle differences in the experimental geometry and conditions and the relative roles played by long-range hydrodynamic interactions and short-range collisions.

Hydrodynamics of polymers in an active bath

The conformational and dynamical properties of active polymers in solution are determined by the nature of the activity. Here, the behavior of polymers with self-propelled, active Brownian particle-type monomers differs qualitatively from that of polymers with monomers driven externally by colored-noise forces. We present simulation and theoretical results for polymers in solution in the presence of external active noise. In simulations, a semiflexible bead-spring chain is considered, in analytical calculations, a continuous linear wormlike chain. Activity is taken into account by independent monomer or site velocities, with orientations changing in a diffusive manner. In simulations, hydrodynamic interactions (HIs) are taken into account by the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa tensor or by an implementation of the active polymer in the multiparticle-collision-dynamics approach for fluids. To arrive at an analytical solution, the preaveraged Oseen tensor is employed. The active process implies a dependence of the stationary-state properties on HIs via the polymer relaxation times. With increasing activity, HIs lead to an enhanced swelling of flexible polymers, and the conformational properties differ substantially from those of polymers with self-propelled monomers in the presence of HIs, or free-draining polymers. The polymer mean-square displacement is enhanced by HIs. Over a wide range of timescales, hydrodynamics leads to a subdiffusive regime of the site mean-square displacement for flexible active polymers, with an exponent of 5/7, larger than that of the Rouse (1/2) and Zimm (2/3) models of passive polymers.

How a local active force modifies the structural properties of polymers

We study the dynamics of a polymer, described as a variant of a Rouse chain, driven by an active terminal monomer (head). The local active force induces a transition from a globule-like to an elongated state, as revealed by the study of the end-to-end distance, the variance of which is analytically predicted under suitable approximations. The change in the relaxation times of the Rouse-modes produced by the local self-propulsion is consistent with the transition from globule to elongated conformations. Moreover, also the bond-bond spatial correlation for the chain head are affected by the self-propulsion and a gradient of over-stretched bonds along the chain is observed. We compare our numerical results both with the phenomenological stiff-polymer theory and several analytical predictions in the Rouse-chain approximation.

Conformation and dynamics of a self-avoiding active flexible polymer

We investigate conformations and dynamics of a polymer considering its monomers to be active Brownian particles. This active polymer shows very intriguing physical behavior which is absent in an active Rouse chain. The chain initially shrinks with active force, which starts swelling on further increase in force. The shrinkage followed by swelling is attributed purely to excluded-volume interactions among the monomers. In the swelling regime, the chain shows a crossover from the self-avoiding behavior to the Rouse behavior with scaling exponent ν_{a}≈1/2 for end-to-end distance. The nonmonotonicity in the structure is analyzed through various physical quantities; specifically, radial distribution function of monomers, scattering time, as well as various energy calculations. The chain relaxes faster than the Rouse chain in the intermediate force regime, with a crossover in variation of relaxation time at large active force as given by a power law τ_{r}∼Pe^{-4/3} (Pe is Péclet number).

Active Brownian filaments with hydrodynamic interactions: conformations and dynamics

The conformational and dynamical properties of active self-propelled filaments/polymers are investigated in the presence of hydrodynamic interactions by both, Brownian dynamics simulations and analytical theory. Numerically, a discrete linear chain composed of active Brownian particles is considered, analytically, a continuous linear semiflexible polymer with active velocities changing diffusively. The force-free nature of active monomers is accounted for-no Stokeslet fluid flow induced by active forces-and higher order hydrodynamic multipole moments are neglected. Hence, fluid-mediated interactions are assumed to arise solely due to intramolecular forces. The hydrodynamic interactions (HI) are taken into account analytically by the preaveraged Oseen tensor, and numerically by the Rotne-Prager-Yamakawa tensor. The nonequilibrium character of the active process implies a dependence of the stationary-state properties on HI via the polymer relaxation times. In particular, at moderate activities, HI lead to a substantial shrinkage of flexible and semiflexible polymers to an extent far beyond shrinkage of comparable free-draining polymers; even flexible HI-polymers shrink, while active free-draining polymers swell monotonically. Large activities imply a reswelling, however, to a less extent than for non-HI polymers, caused by the shorter polymer relaxation times due to hydrodynamic interactions. The polymer mean square displacement is enhanced, and an activity-determined ballistic regime appears. Over a wide range of time scales, flexible active polymers exhibit a hydrodynamically governed subdiffusive regime, with an exponent significantly smaller than that of the Rouse and Zimm models of passive polymers. Compared to simulations, the analytical approach predicts a weaker hydrodynamic effect. Overall, hydrodynamic interactions modify the conformational and dynamical properties of active polymers substantially.

Emergent topological phenomena in active polymeric fluids

Polymeric fluids show a wealth of topological phenomena, from entanglement and reptation at microscales to orientational ordering and defect production at macroscales, which can be explained by statistical-mechanical theories. In the presence of activity, the latter must be augmented by forces that cause spontaneous chain motion and fluid flow. Here, using such augmented Langevin equations, we study active polymeric solutions and melts composed of chains of hydrodynamically interacting stresslets. In a spherical volume, contractile chains are unstable and self-knot into entangled melts at both low and high densities. Extensile chains in the same geometry form an unentangled reptating state at low densities and an entangled, coherently moving, non-reptating state at high densities. On a spherical surface, contractile chains show transitions, with increasing areal density, between isotropic, orientationally ordered and micro-phase separated states. Extensile chains in the same geometry show a transition between isotropic and nematic states. In both cases, defects in orientationally ordered states are produced athermally and without conserving topological charge. Our work reproduces the phenomenology of several recent experiments, highlights the importance of hydrodynamic interactions in active polymer fluids, and suggests non-equilibrium kinetic routes to topological structures that are otherwise difficult to obtain in equilibrium.

Globulelike Conformation and Enhanced Diffusion of Active Polymers

We study the dynamics and conformation of polymers composed by active monomers. By means of Brownian dynamics simulations we show that, when the direction of the self-propulsion of each monomer is aligned with the backbone, the polymer undergoes a coil-to-globulelike transition, highlighted by a marked change of the scaling exponent of the gyration radius. Concurrently, the diffusion coefficient of the center of mass of the polymer becomes essentially independent of the polymer size for sufficiently long polymers or large magnitudes of the self-propulsion. These effects are reduced when the self-propulsion of the monomers is not bound to be tangent to the backbone of the polymer. Our results, rationalized by a minimal stochastic model, open new routes for activity-controlled polymers and, possibly, for a new generation of polymer-based drug carriers.

Freely Jointed Polymers Made of Droplets

An important goal of self-assembly is to achieve a preprogrammed structure with high fidelity. Here, we control the valence of DNA-functionalized emulsions to make linear and branched model polymers, or "colloidomers." The distribution of cluster sizes is consistent with a polymerization process in which the droplets achieve their prescribed valence. Conformational statistics reveal that the chains are freely jointed, so that the Kuhn length is close to one bead diameter. The end-to-end length scales with the number of bonds N as N^{ν}, where ν≈3/4, in agreement with the Flory theory in two dimensions. The chain diffusion coefficient D approximately scales as D∝N^{-ν}, as predicted by the Zimm model. Unlike molecular polymers, colloidomers can be repeatedly assembled and disassembled under temperature cycling, allowing for reconfigurable, responsive matter.

Visible light driven catalytic gold decorated soft-oxometalate (SOM) based nanomotors for organic pollutant remediation

Visible light propelled nanomotors are a class of highly sought after active matter. Here we report a gold decorated semiconductor and a soft-oxometalate based TiO2-{Mo7}-Au nanomotor which can be propelled diffusiophoretically on exposure to visible light and show excellent photocatalytic activity. These systems exclude the use of any harsh toxic chemical as fuel and exhibit a speed of 10 μm s-1 in water. Their motion can also be controlled by rapid switching of light. We use these photocatalytic nanomotors for environmental cleansing as they can facilitate the removal of organic pollutants from water under visible light. In this work we have demonstrated the removal of two model organic pollutants methylene blue and benzyl bromide from water using these nanomotors.