02307nas a2200265   4500008004100000022001400041245010600055210006900161260000800230300001600238490000700254520141800261653001801679653002001697653002301717653001601740653001901756100001801775700002201793700002101815700002401836700002201860700002701882856013201909       2017                        eng d  a1936-085100aLinking catalyst-coated isotropic colloids into ``active'' flexible chains enhances their diffusivity0 aLinking catalystcoated isotropic colloids into active flexible c  cOCT  a10025-100310 v113 aActive colloids are not constrained by equilibrium: ballistic propulsion, superdiffusive behavior, or enhanced diffusivities have been reported for active Janus particles. At high concentrations, interactions between active colloids give rise to complex emergent behavior. Their collective dynamics result in the formation of several hundred particle-strong flocks or swarms. Here, we demonstrate significant diffusivity enhancement for colloidal objects that neither have a Janus architecture nor are at high concentrations. We employ uniformly catalyst-coated, viz. chemo-mechanically, isotropic colloids and link them into a chain to enforce proximity. Activity arises from hydrodynamic interactions between enchained colloidal beads due to reaction-induced phoretic flows catalyzed by platinum nanoparticles on the colloid surface. This results in diffusivity enhancements of up to 60% for individual chains in dilute solution. Chains with increasing flexibility exhibit higher diffusivities. Simulations accounting for hydrodynamic interactions between enchained colloids due to active phoretic flows accurately capture the experimental diffusivity. These simulations reveal that the enhancement in diffusivity can be attributed to the interplay between chain conformational fluctuations and activity. Our results show that activity can be used to systematically modulate the mobility of soft slender bodies.10aactive matter10aBrownian motion10acolloidal assembly10adiffusivity10aice templating1 aBiswas, Bipul1 aManna, Raj, Kumar1 aLaskar, Abhrajit1 aKumar, P., B. Sunil1 aAdhikari, Ronojoy1 aKumaraswamy, Guruswamy  uhttps://library.ncl.res.in/content/linking-catalyst-coated-isotropic-colloids-active-flexible-chains-enhances-their-diffusivity