Kathreen R.

Makiling 2020-03892 BLOCK: H

Instructor: Michelle P. Tapel Gec & - Science, Technology and Bachelor of Culture and Arts
Society Education
Instructions: Research on a nano product available in the market today. Draw or paste picture of the product
on a 1/8 cardboard. At the back write a 50 words description about the product, particularly explaining how it
was produced using nanotechnology. Prepare for a two minute discussion of your flash card in front of the
class.

TENNIS
Nanotechnology has found a range of applications in the world of sports equipment, with a
couple of great examples coming from one of my favorite sports: tennis. Nanotechnology helps tennis
balls keep their bounce for longer, and make tennis racquets stronger. The degree of competitiveness
in sports has been remarkably impacted by nanotechnology like any other innovative idea in materials
science. Within the niche of sport equipment, nanotechnology offers a number of advantages and
immense potential to improve sporting equipment making athletes safer, comfortable and more agile
than ever. Baseball bats, tennis and badminton racquets, hockey sticks, racing bicycles, golf
balls/clubs, skis, fly-fishing rods, archery arrows, etc. are some of the sporting equipment, whose
performance and durability are being improved with the help of nanotechnology. Nanomaterials such
as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), silica nanoparticles (SNPs), nanoclays fullerenes, etc. are being
incorporated into various sports equipment to improve the performance of athletes as well as
equipment. Each of these nanomaterials is responsible for an added advantage such as high strength
and stiffness, durability, reduced weight, abrasion resistance, etc.
The famous tennis player, Roger Federer has won many tournaments including Wimbledon
using nano-enhanced racquets (Wilson nSix-One Tour 90, nCode & K Factor) reinforced with SNPs.
Equipment such as footballs/tennis balls with nano-clay lining as a barrier material uphold pressure
for a longer game-play. Incorporation of nanomaterials (e.g. fullerene) lightens the golf clubs by
lowering the centre of gravity, which increases the power and accuracy during the game-
play. Graphene oxide and buckypaper (sheet of CNTs) are incorporated into canoes or race-boat
hulls/masts to increase glide while making them stronger and much lighter. In ice-skating, ultra-hard
nanoceramics make the edges of skates super-sharp, whereas self-assembling
bionic nanoparticles are used in land speed cars (Royal Purple Streamliner from Nish Motorsports &
Nanotec-USA) to improve the fuel economy and speed even with 50% less nitro methane fuel
mixture3. Sports equipment, which are even 10-20% more enhanced in terms of
performance/durability become better selling items in the market and nanomaterials may make some
of the sports equipment perhaps many times better. However, despite the various advantages
proposed, there is not a myriad of nanotechnology-enhanced sports equipment in the market as the
technology is highly expensive and complicated to deal with.
There are nano material these are Carbon nano tubes which has the benefits that tennis
increase stiffness, consistency, durability, resiliency, impact, repulsion power and vibration control of
racquets. The Silica nanoparticles which has the benefits to increase stability, power and durability of
racquets. Also, the fullerenes that reduce weight and twisting of racquetframes and Nanoclay to
increase resiliency and bounce of balls. And the Nano-titanium which resist deformationand increase
strength and durability of ball, transmit more power to ball, and more accurate shots.