More resistant and faster skis thanks to plasma. It is one of the recent discoveries of the Turin Environment Park research centre, a technological pole which, through its division dedicated to nanotechnologies, has experimented that by generating – both in vacuum and at atmospheric pressure – the fourth state of matter, i.e. ionizing a gas and taking it beyond the gaseous state, it can be used in various industrial processes to modify the surfaces of materials from a physico-chemical point of view.
An ionized gas is an "excited" gas, which therefore generates energy and emits light: and hence plasma televisions, neon lamps. Or, remaining in nature, the aurora borealis and lightning. Up to the industry and a possible revolution in sport. “The idea behind the Plasma Ski project – explains Domenico D'Angelo, senior manager of the Plasma Nanotech department of the Turin hub – was to verify whether atmospheric plasma technology, specifically that of plasma jet (Plasmatreat), could improve the chemical-physical characteristics of the slab”.
The objectives of the project, all Italian, were two: increase the amount of wax (the well-known material used to make skis smoother) absorbable by the sole and at the same time reinforce the sole to delay its wear due to friction and heat. “The surface of the insoles – explains D'Angelo – is made of polyethylene, whose structure is typically microalveolar with the cavities partially blocked by polymer residues. This conformation makes the surface of the bases receptive to the wax but at the same time polluting factors are deposited inside the micro-cavities and the excessive flexibility of the micro-crests at the apex of the alveolar structure reduces a large part of the volume available to receive the wax ”.
A very technical explanation, while the solution is simpler: working these insoles with plasma removes everything that clogs the cavities of the alveolar structure, making the smoother surface and more receptive to wax: there will therefore be more (“Four to six times more”, reveals the engineer of the Envipark of Turin) and it will obviously last longer, with concrete benefits above all for the basic disciplines but also for all the other sectors , including alpine skiing (think of downhill skiing). Concrete benefits that have already been tested and would be impressive, but at the moment they remain top secret, just as the names of the manufacturing companies that have already set their sights on this innovation cannot be disclosed. “The chronometric results are currently not disclosed. But I can say that maintaining optimal sliding performance over long distances has shown considerable differences in terms of times in the first tests on snow".
