Ascorbic acid-mediated reductive disassembly of Fe-tannic acid shells in degradable single-cell nanoencapsulation.

Rapid degradation of Fe-tannic acid films is achieved under mild conditions via ascorbic acid-mediated Fe reduction, which overcomes the problems in the disassembly of a metal-organic complex including slow reaction rates and reaction incompatibility with living cells. The strategy of reductive disassembly is applied to degradable single-cell nanoencapsulation, providing an advanced tool for tightly controlling and manipulating the cell-material interface.