Collective Behavior of Thermally Active Colloids (pdf)

The motion of colloidal particles in a solution in the presence of an externally applied temperature gradient, which is known as thermophoresis or the Soret effect

Since such thermally active colloids would create temperature profiles around them that decay as1=r, in addition to causing them to self-propel, thermo-phoresis could provide a mechanism for them to interact with one another in a solution. The long-ranged nature of the intercolloidal thermophoretic interaction could lead to interesting collective behaviors.