| abstract |
The present invention provides a hydrogel comprising an amphipathic linear peptide / peptoid and an amphipathic linear peptide / peptoid. The amphipathic linear peptide / peptoid can form a hydrogel. Such peptides / peptoids comprise a short amphiphilic arrangement with hydrophobic portions of aliphatic amino acids and at least one acidic, neutral or basic polar amino acid. The amphipathic linear peptide / peptoid is an increase in non-repetitive aliphatic amino acids that can be in the L- or D-form. A plurality of such peptides / peptoids are assembled into supramolecular helical fibers, which form peptide hydrogels after assembly. Corresponding hydrogels are formed in aqueous solutions at physiological pH and are thus useful in cell culture, tissue engineering and drug release. Such hydrogels, which are hard, biocompatible and confine 99.9% of water, are also suitable for applications utilizing electronic devices. |