Multitasking polyamine/ferrioxalate nano-sized assemblies: thermo-, photo-, and redox-responsive soft materials made easy

Responsive nanomaterials have emerged as key components in materials sciences. Herein, we report the one-step preparation of multi-stimuli responsive polyamine-salt aggregates (PSA) by ionically crosslinking polyethylenimine with potassium ferrioxalate (FeOx). The unique properties of FeOx enables a novel class of soft nanomaterial that disassembles by exposure to light, reducing environments and temperature.