Ramin Golestanian
University of Oxford

Active colloidal swimmers as building blocks for active matter

The non-equilibrium dynamics of phoretically active colloids could lead to spontaneous formation of interesting structures and patterns due to the presence of long-range Coulomb-like interactions. I discuss three examples: formation of small stable clusters or "molecules" that can exhibit functionality that depends on geometry, collective chemotaxis in a solution of catalytically active colloids that could lead to clusters formation, aster condensation, and spontaneous oscillations, and swarming - in the form of a comet - of light-induced thermally active colloids with negative Soret coefficient.