Nanotechnology Should It Be Used To Lightweight Sports Equipment?
Given the potential dangers of nanotechnology, should it be used to lightweight sports equipment?
Nanotechnology has an array of uses, from sunscreen to sporting equipment. Sports equipment has been vastly innovated by the discovery and application of nanotechnology in recent years. The highest end tennis racquets, baseball bats and even racing bicycles all use nanotechnology to combine strength and lightness provided by this technology. Some of the bicycles made with nanotechnology are priced at up to $20,000. However, there are some prevalent health risks associated with the use of nanotechnology in sports equipment.
Carbon nanotubes are used frequently in the production of premium sporting goods to provide strength and lightness. They are stronger than steel. Carbon nanotubes are so strong because of their structure. They are arranged in a long, cylindrical chain of unbroken hexagonal carbon-carbon covalent bonds. The reason these nanotubes are so hard to break is because in order to break one, a strong covalent bond needs to be broken. …show more content…
The construction of most tennis balls includes a nanoclay lining. This is made from carbon nanotubes, and is used for a number of reasons. Because of the tight atomic structure, it is very hard for air to escape the ball, hence increasing the durability of the it. Also, due to carbon nanotubes’ ability to be bent and twisted without breaking, the ball is flexible which allows it to bounce. However, due to the previously discussed strength, whilst still being extremely light, carbon nanotubes are the perfect material to make up the lining of a tennis ball. Another way carbon nanotubes are used in tennis is in the structure of tennis racquets. They are used in tennis racquets for the same reason they are used in racing bicycles – their strength to weight ratio. Additionally, carbon nanotubes help control vibrations received from making contact with the
Nanotechnology has an array of uses, from sunscreen to sporting equipment. Sports equipment has been vastly innovated by the discovery and application of nanotechnology in recent years. The highest end tennis racquets, baseball bats and even racing bicycles all use nanotechnology to combine strength and lightness provided by this technology. Some of the bicycles made with nanotechnology are priced at up to $20,000. However, there are some prevalent health risks associated with the use of nanotechnology in sports equipment.
Carbon nanotubes are used frequently in the production of premium sporting goods to provide strength and lightness. They are stronger than steel. Carbon nanotubes are so strong because of their structure. They are arranged in a long, cylindrical chain of unbroken hexagonal carbon-carbon covalent bonds. The reason these nanotubes are so hard to break is because in order to break one, a strong covalent bond needs to be broken. …show more content…
The construction of most tennis balls includes a nanoclay lining. This is made from carbon nanotubes, and is used for a number of reasons. Because of the tight atomic structure, it is very hard for air to escape the ball, hence increasing the durability of the it. Also, due to carbon nanotubes’ ability to be bent and twisted without breaking, the ball is flexible which allows it to bounce. However, due to the previously discussed strength, whilst still being extremely light, carbon nanotubes are the perfect material to make up the lining of a tennis ball. Another way carbon nanotubes are used in tennis is in the structure of tennis racquets. They are used in tennis racquets for the same reason they are used in racing bicycles – their strength to weight ratio. Additionally, carbon nanotubes help control vibrations received from making contact with the