New synthetic routes towards well defined polypeptides morphologies and hydrogels Proteins are natural polypeptides produced by cells; they can be found in both animals and plants and possess a variety of functions. One of these functions is to provide structural support to the surrounding cells and tissues. For example collagen (which is found in skin cartilage tendons and bones) and keratin (which is found in hair and nails) are structural proteins. When a tissue is damaged however the supporting matrix formed by structural proteins cannot always spontaneously regenerate. Tailor made synthetic polypeptides can be used to help heal and restore tissue formation. Synthetic polypeptides are typically synthesized by the so called ring opening polymerization (ROP) of α amino acid N carboxyanhydrides (NCA). Such synthetic polypeptides are generally non sequence controlled and thus less complex than proteins. As such synthetic polypeptides are rarely as efficient as proteins in their ability to self assemble and form hierarchical or structural supramolecular assemblies in water and thus often require…