Popescu, M.N.Tasinkvych, M.Dietrich, S.2025-12-172025-12-172011Europhysics Letters, 2011; 95(2):28004-1-28004-60295-50751286-4854https://hdl.handle.net/1959.8/123724Catalytically active particles suspended in a liquid can move due to self-phoresis by generating solute gradients via chemical reactions of the solvent occurring at parts of their surface. Such particles can be used as carriers at the micro-scale. As a simple model for a carrier-cargo system we consider a catalytically active particle connected by a thin rigid rod to a catalytically inert cargo particle. We show that the velocity of the composite strongly depends on the relative orientation of the carrier-cargo link. Accordingly, there is an optimal configuration for the linkage. The subtlety of such carriers is underscored by the observation that a spherical particle completely covered by catalyst, which is motionless when isolated, acts as a carrier once attached to a cargo.enCopyright 2011 EPLAcarrier-cargo systemcatalytically active particleJournal article10.1209/0295-5075/95/280042-s2.0-79960162514