Chiral self-assembly of peptides: Toward the design of supramolecular polymers with enhanced chemical and biological functions

Chirality is one of the most important structural features in biological systems. Peptides, as a class of small biomolecules, can self-assemble into various chiral supramolecular polymers with unprecedented levels of diversity and complexity, which have practical ramifications in various fields from catalysis to sensing, optics, and biomedicine. In this review, we will focus on the chiral transfer during peptide self-assembly from the molecular scale to the nano-, micro- and mesoscale, and highlight the vital roles of chirality in determining the structures and functions of the self-assembled supramolecular polymeric materials. By rational control of the chiral self-assembly of peptide monomers, supramolecular polymers with sophisticated hierarchical structures and enhanced chemical and biological functions can readily be achieved. These can provide inspiration for researchers to design highly efficient asymmetric catalysts, templates fabricating materials with tunable chiroptics, or to synthesize biomaterials with chirality-encoded properties for biomedical applications.