Sports Equipment

Nanotechnology is being applied to many areas of sport. Tennis and golf are traditionally two of the main sports that embrace new technology, and their use of nanotechnology has further strengthened this claim. In the world of competitive sport even the most minimal changes in equipment can make all the difference between winning and losing.

Golf club manufacturer Wilson has invested heavily in nanotechnology in recent years, particularly nanometal coatings. The nanometals have a crystalline structure, and although they are hundreds of times smaller than traditional metals, they are four times stronger. Wilson are now making clubs which are lighter yet more powerful as a result of nanotechnology.

NanoDynamics - a nanoscale engineering and materials company - have recently produced golf balls with nanoscale coating to reduce 'spring' and allow a truer contact with the club, producing shots that do not go further, but do travel straighter.

In tennis, Wilson are once again leading the way - they have started adding nanosize silicon dioxide crystals to their racquets, offering increased power but not at the expense of weight.

Carbon nanotubes have been used in sports equipment for a few years now, particularly by companies such as Yonex, makers of badminton racquets. These racquets are lighter, which allows for a more compact swing that still produces maximum power.