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A D V A N C E D

M A T E R I A L S

&

P R O C E S S E S | J U L Y / A U G U S T

2 0 1 6

7

WORLD’S LIGHTEST SKIS

FEATURE NEW COMPOSITE

Chomarat, France, has reportedly

created the lightest ski on the market

using C-Ply—a multiaxial carbon rein-

forcement produced in its South Caro-

lina facility. Launched in January, the

Mythic 87 line of Dynastar’s (France) skis

uses the new reinforcements. These

backcountry skis were first developed

for competitive skiing, but are now

available for all skiers. C-Ply’s structure

of carbon reinforcement is optimized in

terms of angles, ply weight, and fiber

alignment, enabling an effective bal-

ance between strength and responsive-

ness, as well as high performance and

weight.

chomarat.com/en.

BASEBALL FANS PROTECTED

WITH NEARLY INVISIBLE

NETTING

Fans seated close to the action

during Major League Baseball (MLB)

games this year will be protected by

screens extending further down the

foul lines than in past seasons. Fans

in 10 MLB ballparks might not readily

notice the change thanks to barely visi-

ble systems developed and installed by

Promats Athletics, using the Ultra Cross

netting manufactured by NET Systems

made with Black Dyneema material.

Hailed by baseball officials as a

positive change to keep spectators

safe, some fans and groups initially

voiced concern that installing addi-

tional screening would have a nega-

tive impact on the viewing experience.

Ultra Cross is a knotless braided net,

resulting in less obstruction than other

Are you working with or have you

discovered a material or its properties

that exhibit OMG - Outrageous

Materials Goodness?

Send your submissions to

Julie Lucko at

julie.lucko@asminternational.org

.

OMG!

OUTRAGEOUS MATERIALS GOODNESS

Ultra-light skis fromChomarat feature a multiaxial carbon reinforcement, C-Ply.

Promats Athletics’ netting solution uses

the unique Ultra Cross systemmanu-

factured by NET Systems with Black

Dyneema fiber, which incorporates the

color into the fabric itself. Ultra Cross is a

knotless braided net and is therefore less

obstructive than other nets.

Researchers work with polytetrafluoro-

ethylene, a wear-resistant coating used

on tools andmachinery for energy,

aerospace, automotive, oil and natural

gas, health care, biomedical, and food

industries. Courtesy of University of

Arkansas.

systems. Other systems also require

application of a coating to provide the

black color preferred by most sports

venues. With Black Dyneema, the color

is integrated into the fiber itself. Thus,

the black coloration of Promats’ system

will neither wear away when exposed

to natural elements nor abrade should

protective screens be repeatedly struck

by balls.

dyneema.com

.

IMPROVING TEFLON’S

TOUGHNESS

Researchers at the University of

Arkansas, Fayetteville, will receive a

$450,000 grant from the National Sci-

ence Foundation to further their study

of a novel approach that significantly

improves wear resistance of polytetra-

fluoroethylene (PTFE) coatings. PTFE is

better known by its trademarked brand

name: Teflon.

“Obviously, PTFE is a great mate-

rial with many wonderful applications,”

says Min Zou, professor of mechanical

engineering. “But its coatings are easily

worn because of their poor adhesion to

substrates, and this severely limits its

applications.”

Zou and Jingyi Chen, assistant

professor of chemistry, are incorpo-

rating polydopamine as an adhesive

underlayer in order to improve wear

resistance of PTFE. This approach will

allow thin, wear-resistant PTFE coat-

ings to be deposited on any substrate

material without changing the under-

lining surface topography. Achieving

this could promote the execution of

a wide range of properties—such as

self-cleaning, anti-fogging, anti-icing,

anti-corrosion, and others—that rely on

surface topography and chemistry for

proper function.

PTFE is used not only in cooking

tools, but also has various applications

in the energy, aerospace, automotive,

oil and natural gas, health care, and

biomedical industries.

For more infor-

mation: Min Zou, 479.575.6671,

mzou@ uark.edu

,

www.uark.edu

.