• Advances in nano research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.235-246
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• 2023

Nanotechnology, like any other revolutionary innovation in materials science, has significantly influenced the level of competition in sports. Nanotechnology provides various benefits and enormous potential to enhance athletic equipment, making players safer, more comfortable, and more agile. Various sporting equipment is being infused with nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), silica nanoparticles (SNPs), nanoclays fullerenes, etc., to enhance athlete and equipment performance. Each of these nanomaterials gives athletic equipment an extra benefit like high strength and stiffness, longevity, decreased weight, abrasion resistance, etc. This paper mechanically analysis the structural strength of tennis equipment to avoid injury. As a result, the bending forces are applied to the reinforced structures to investigate their durability.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.366-372
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• 2013

Flexible polyurethane/clay porous nanocomposite foams were synthesized using natural and organically modified montmorillonite clays such as bentonite, closite 10A and closite 30B. The content of nanoclays was varied from 1 to 5 wt% of polyol. Dispersion of clay in Polyurethane(PU) matrix was investigated by X-ray diffraction(Cu-$K{\alpha}$ rays of wavelength $1.54{\AA}$) using an X-ray diffractometer. Also, we determined that the thermal resistance of PU foam increased with added clay, compared to that of pure PU foam. The cell size and the fraction of open cells of the precursor foam were controlled by the addition of clay to the polyurethane foam. Modified clays were found to be more efficient cell openers than the unmodified clay. In addition, the tensile strength and elongation of the polyurethane/clay porous nanocomposites were examined. Increasing clay content increased the mechanical properties of the composites, such as tensile strength, and elongation at break. However, increasing the content over 5 wt% deteriorated the properties of the composites. We found that the nanofillers(bentonite, closite 10A and closite 30B) improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposite foam. The nanocomposite foam containing 3 wt% of closite 30B exhibited the best tensile strength and thermal stability.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.120-126
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• 2016

Eco-friendly acrylic resin/clay nanocomposites containing pristine montmorillonite (PM) or modified clays (30B and 25A) were prepared from acrylic and styrenic monomers using non-aqueous dispersion (NAD) polymerization. Effect of nanoclays on physical properties of polymerization product and resulting nanocomposites was investigated. In view of NAD particle stability, addition of nanoclay at the beginning of polymerization is proved to be good. Results of gel fraction, acid value and viscosity of the NAD product showed that nanocomposites containing clay 25A showed better physical properties than the ones with other clays. GPC results exhibit the increase in molecular weight and decrease in polydispersity index for the 25A nanocomposite. Increase in layer distance confirmed from XRD analysis showed good dispersion of 25A in the nanocomposite. Thermal and dynamic mechanical analysis showed that highest glass transition temperature and storage modulus for 25A nanocomposites. These results indicate that 25A nanoclay gives the best properties in the process of non-aqueous dispersion polymerization of acrylic resin/nanoclay nanocomposites.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.493-499
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• 2009

The properties of polystyrene and styrenic copolymer nanocomposites containing carbon nanotubes (CNT) and nanoclays were studied. Polystyrene and styrenic copolymer containing styrene and vinylbenzyl trimethylammonium chloride (SVTAC) were synthesized by emulsion polymerization. Polystyrene/CNT/clay and SVTAC/CNT/clay nanocomposites with various concentrations of CNT and different types of clay were prepared via mixing of polystyrene emulsion and clay. SVTAC/CNT nanocomposites showed a better electrical conductivity than PS/CNT nanocomposites. Nanocomposites with more surfactant during polymerization showed a better electrical conductivity than the ones with less surfactant. These indicated the positive effect of comonomer and surfactant on the electrical conductivity. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to analyze the state of CNT dispersion. TEM results showed that CNT loading, comonomer composition and amount of surfactant affected the final dispersion of CNT in nanocomposites. In order to confirm the effects of CNT loading, comonomer composition and the amount of surfactant on the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties, DSC and DMA analyses were conducted.