**3.5 Creation of fuel cells using oriented chitin**

The high proton conductivity of chitin appeared in the oriented sample and in the fiber direction. From this result, fuel cell using an oriented chitin sample was prepared. **Figure 11** shows schematic diagram of the fuel cell when oriented chitin is used and its *i-V* characteristics. As shown in **Figure 11**, the fuel cell using oriented chitin showed a much higher power density than the sheet sample, and a maximum of 33 mW/cm2 was obtained. In other words, chitin indicates that the output can be

**Figure 11.**

*Schematic diagram of fuel cell using oriented chitin (left) and its i-V characteristics (right) [11].*

improved by nearly 24 times by using the structure. In the future, it is expected that the key to practical use will be the improvement of output by chemical modification and the development of technology for producing oriented chitin at low cost.
