Proton Generation Using Chitin–Chitinase and Collagen–Collagenase Composites

Abstract

Hydrogen energy is focused on as next-generation energy without environmental load. Therefore, hydrogen production without using fossil fuels is a key factor in the progress of hydrogen energy. In the present work, it was found that chitin–chitinase and collagen–collagenase composites can generate protons by the hydrolysis of the enzyme. The concentration of the generated proton in the chitin–chitinase and collagen–collagenase composites are 1.68 × 1017 cm−3 and 1.02 × 1017 cm−3, respectively. Accompanying these results, proton diffusion constants in the chitin and collagen membranes are also estimated to be 8.59 × 10−8 cm2/s and 8.69 × 10−8 cm2/s, respectively. Furthermore, we have fabricated the bio-fuel cell using these composites as hydrogen fuel and demonstrated that these composites become a fuel of the fuel cell.