Golf Ball Having Nanostructured Material and Method for Making Same

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a golf ball ( 1 ) having one or more nanostructured materials, i.e., materials with at least one dimension in the 1-100 nm range. The nanostructured materials are present within the hollow metal core ( 3 ), a surrounding polymer layer ( 4 ), or both. More particularly, the golf ball ( 1 ) may include a sphere comprising a nanostructured steel, a polymer comprising a nanoclay material, or both, which improve durability and performance. The present invention is also directed to a method for making the improved golf ball.

1 . In a golf ball comprising a one-piece metal first sphere, said metal sphere surrounded by a second sphere comprising a compressible, resilient material selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, synthetic polymer compositions, and combinations thereof, the improvement which consists of one of said spheres being formed from a nanostructured material. 
   
   
       2 . In a golf ball comprising a one-piece metal first sphere, said metal sphere surrounded by a second sphere comprising a compressible, resilient material selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, synthetic polymer compositions, and combinations thereof, the improvement which consists of both of said spheres being formed from a nanostructured material. 
   
   
       3 . The improvement according to  claim 1  wherein the metal sphere is formed from a nanostructured steel. 
   
   
       4 . The improvement according to  claim 2  wherein the metal sphere is formed from a nanostructured steel. 
   
   
       5 . The improvement according to  claim 3  wherein the metal sphere is formed from Nanoflex™ steel. 
   
   
       6 . The improvement according to  claim 4  wherein the metal sphere is formed from Nanoflex™ steel. 
   
   
       7 . The improvement according to  claim 1  wherein the second sphere is formed from a synthetic polymer composition. 
   
   
       8 . The improvement according to  claim 2  wherein the second sphere is formed from a synthetic polymer composition. 
   
   
       9 . The improvement according to  claim 7 , wherein the synthetic polymer composition further comprises a nanoclay additive. 
   
   
       10 . The improvement according to  claim 8 , wherein the synthetic polymer composition further comprises a nanoclay additive. 
   
   
       11 . The improvement according to  claim 7 , wherein the synthetic polymer composition comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of HPF 1000, HPF 2000, polybutadiene, and polyether block amide. 
   
   
       12 . The improvement according to  claim 8 , wherein the synthetic polymer composition comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of HPF 1000, HPF 2000, polybutadiene, and polyether block amide. 
   
   
       13 . The improvement according to  claim 9 , wherein the synthetic polymer composition comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of HPF 1000, HPF 2000, polybutadiene, and polyether block amide. 
   
   
       14 . The improvement according to  claim 10 , wherein the synthetic polymer composition comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of HPF 1000, HPF 2000, polybutadiene, and polyether block amide.