Semiflexible chain networks formed via self-assembly of beta-hairpin molecules.

We report experimental results from a de novo designed oligopeptide that intermolecularly self-assembles into rigid hydrogel networks after an intramolecular folding event. Microscopy and neutron scattering reveal a fibril local structure that is approximately 3 nm in diameter and over several hundred nanometers in length. Oscillatory rheology suggests that the peptidic network viscoelastic behavior follows that theoretically predicted for heavily cross-linked, semiflexible polymer networks.