Construction from Destruction: Hydrogel Formation from Triggered Depolymerization-Based Release of an Enzymatic Catalyst.

Biomimetic systems that undergo macroscopic phase transformations by transducing and amplifying external cues are highly desirable for applications such as self-healing. Here, we report self-assembly of polyelectrolyte complexes into a vesicular structure that can accommodate hydrophilic guest molecules, including enzymes. Triggered depolymerization of one of the polyelectrolyte molecules in the complex causes the vesicle to disassemble and release its contents.