Tokyo-based Teijin Fibers Ltd. reports it has begun supplying Nanofront™ high-strength polyester
fiber to Acushnet Japan Inc. for use in the palms of Nanolock™ golf gloves. According to Teijin,
the gloves, which will be manufactured and marketed under the FootJoy brand, are the world’s first
golf gloves to incorporate nanofiber material. The company reports Acushnet selected Nanofront for
the new gloves because of its softness, slip-resistance, high absorbency and diffusion properties.
Teijin’s Nanofront fiber is 700 nanometers thick — 7,500 times thinner than a strand of hair
— and has a surface area that is dozens of times greater than that of a regular fiber. According
to the company, the nano-sized bumps on the fiber’s surface increase the frictional force, making
the material slip-resistant.
November 18, 2009