Chitosan nanowires (see figure) are successfully fabricated on a stainless steel substrate by a nonaqueous electrochemical route that does not require a template, catalyst, or surfactant. The nanoscale morphology of the final products - nanoflakes, nanowires, nanobelts, nanorods, and nanotubes - can be easily tuned by controlling the experimental conditions. This approach is ideal for exploring large-scale industrial production of chitosan nanomaterials.