Novel chitosan-based pH-sensitive and disintegrable polyelectrolyte nanogels

- A method to design pH-sensitive chitosan-based polyelectrolyte nanogels is reported.
- The charge-reversible property of polyanion relies on its hydrolysis in acidic media.
- The formation of nanogels depends on MW of polyelectrolytes and titration order.
- Nanogels disintegrate rapidly in an hour at pH 5.0 but are stable at pH 7.4.
- The disintegration behavior of nanogels is consistent with polyanion's hydrolysis.