Clustering-induced velocity-reversals of active colloids mixed with passive particles

Abstract: Recent experiments have shown that colloidal suspensions can spontaneously self-assemble into dense clusters of various internal structures, sizes and dynamical properties when doped with active Janus particles. Characteristically, these clusters move ballistically during their formation, but dynamically revert their velocity and temporarily move opposite to the self-propulsion direction of the Janus particles they contain. Here we explore a simple effective model of colloidal mixtures which allows reproducing most aspects seen in experiments, including the morphology and the velocity-reversal of the clusters. We attribute the latter to the nonreciprocal phoretic attractions of the passive particles to the active colloids' caps, taking place even at close contact and pushing the active particles backwards. When the phoretic interactions are repulsive, in turn, they cause dynamical aggregation of passive colloids in the chemical density minima produced by the active particles, as recently seen in experiments; in other parameter regimes they induce travelling fronts of active particles pursued by passive ones coexisting with an active gas.