Chapter 10: Responsive Peptide-based Materials: Stimulation by Chemical and Biological Signals

Understanding and mimicking of biomolecules that can undergo changes in morphology and/or chemical structure in response to chemical and biological signals make it possible to develop complex synthetic materials for various applications. In this regard, stimuli responsive peptide-based systems have recently gained attraction for their vast potential in e.g. the biomedical field. The minimalistic peptide-based systems do not only shed light on understanding of sophisticated biological processes, they also form the basis for biomimetic materials and drug delivery design. In this chapter, we summarize the most recent and most striking advances in stimuli-responsive peptide-based materials. Since a wide variety of signals could be exploited for these materials, we restrict the scope of the stimuli to pH, ions, reduction–oxidation and biological signals like enzymes.