Structure-Property Relationships in Peptide Hydrogels

Hydrogels are of wide technical and scientific interest because they consist mainly of water, often similar to that of bodily tissue. Hydrogels are used for applications including contact lenses, tissue engineering, drug release, and biosensing. Each of these applications requires gels with different materials properties. The network that traps the water is often polymeric, but recent studies have shown that short peptides can be used, offering advantages with regards to biocompatibility and flexibility of design. Whilst the synthesis and characterisation of many of these peptides and hydrogels formed from them is receiving a significant amount of interest, there is limited understanding linking the properties of the gels formed to the chemical nature of the gelator used. As a result, generating hydrogels for specific applications is a hit-and-miss affair, requiring iterative synthesis and testing. This work focuses on the underpinning science of hydrogel formation from oligopeptides and the development of complete design rules for such materials. Such rules will move the field forward dramatically, establishing design criteria for specific applications and allowing the full exploitation of this exciting technology.