badminton racket is the 1st thing I thought about that would benefit from this new material. It is cheaper than Carbon Nanotube but still strong & light enough but it is not water-proof. http://www.gizmag.com/cellulose-nanocrystals-stronger-carbon-fiber-kevlar/23959/
Hmm... I don't like being pessimistic but I can't see them using wood pulp to make badminton racquets to be honest. An interesting concept nonetheless and I do like reading about new "potential" badminton racquet materials, but I'm just not convinced by is one. Its probably suitable for a lot of other applications, but for badminton racquets, you need more than just elastic mod and tensile strength. Besides, the marketing department at Yonex would probably have a hard time making it sound sexy... Woodpulp-ex 1000 anyone?