Piezoelectricity of chitin in lobster shell and apodeme

Abstract

The piezoelectric strain-constant of dried lobster shell was found to be 10⁻⁹ ∼ 10⁻⁸ cgsesu. The piezoelectric strain-constant of demineralized apodeme was found to be as high as 4 × 10⁻⁸ cgsesu. The variation with temperature and hydration of the piezoelectric and dielectric constants was determined at 10Hz for demineralized apodeme. The results were interpreted by a two-phase theory for the piezoelectric relaxation. It is suggested that the remodelling of exoskeletons of invertebrates may be related to the piezoelectric activity of chitin.