English Abstract
Fullerene and Sporting Goods
Tsuyoshi TAKAKURA
Frontier Carbon Corporation, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushushi, JAPAN
Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2007),80(5),179-183 General Review in Japanese


Abstract
Fullerene is a typical Nano-Carbon Material with interesting properties. Progressive developments of fullerene studies in the last decade suggest that many of them can be applied for practical technologies in a wide range of areas including information and electronics technology, environment, energy, materials and bio-medical fields. Examples include IT devices, photosensitive material, lithium ion battery, diagnostic agent, and improved materials as new resources for such as composite additives,
and more studies are further conducted to utilize the chemical and physical properties of fullerenes.
While high production cost of fullerenes has been the main obstacle in the development of fullerene market, the first sporting goods as a fullerene product was introduced to consumer market in 2003 following the launching of fullerene mass production in 2002 by Frontier Carbon Corporation. Since then, a series of sporting goods have been commercialized in various items, and it is expected that fullerene products are to be applied to different industries in the very near future.



Keywords:
Fullerene, Nano-Carbon, Hollow Sphere, Combustion Method, Composite Material, GFRP, CFRP
Close