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The quest for designing new self-propelled colloids is fuelled by the demandfor simple experimental models to study the collective behaviour of their morecomplex natural counterparts. Most synthetic self-propelled particles move byconverting the input energy into translational motion. In this work we addressthe question if simple self-propelled spheres can assemble into more complexstructures that exhibit rotational motion, possibly coupled with translationalmotion as in flagella. We exploit a combination of induced dipolar interactionsand a bonding step to create permanent linear bead chains, composed ofself-propelled Janus spheres, with a well-controlled internal structure. Next,we study how flexibility between individual swimmers in a chain can affect itsswimming behaviour. Permanent rigid chains showed only active rotational orspinning motion, whereas longer semi-flexible chains showed both translationaland rotational motion resembling flagella like-motion, in the presence of thefuel. Moreover, we are able to reproduce our experimental results usingnumerical calculations with a minimal model, which includes full hydrodynamicinteractions with the fluid. Our method is general and opens a new way todesign novel self-propelled colloids with complex swimming behaviours, usingdifferent complex starting building blocks in combination with the flexibilitybetween them.

Rational design and dynamics of self-propelled colloidal bead chains: from rotators to flagella