Fig. 1. (a) Examples of the various nanostructures which may be formed during self-assembly. (b) The self-assembly process of gelation. The peptide gelators (blue ovals) self-assemble into secondary structures, commonly β-sheet and α-helical, when a trigger is applied that makes the gelators insoluble. Secondary structures can either be held together by intermolecular forces of attraction or covalent bonds. These secondary structures entangle to immobilize water which forms a gel.