Our lab has designed a variety of diblock copolypeptides that spontaneously form hydrogels upon dissolution in aqueous media. Much of this work has utilized non-ionic chain segments that adopt either alpha-helical or beta-sheet conformations, which associate via hydrophobic and/or H-bonding interactions. Recently, We developed diblock copolypeptide hydrogels that associate via polyion complex (PIC) formation between oppositely charged polypeptide segments. These hydrogels retain many of the attractive features of hydrophobically associated copolypeptide hydrogles (e.g. spontaneous assembly, self-healing), yet also show improved resistance to dissolution in excess media. The further development of these PIC hydrogels via design, preparation and assembly of multiblock copolypeptides will be presented. Multiblock architectures were found to retain all properties of diblock copolymers, yet also provide substantial enhancement of hydrogel mechanical properties.

Synthesis and properties of multiblock copolypeptide polyion complex hydrogels

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.