A British sportswear brand, inov-8, has become the first company to add the substance graphene to running and fitness shoes, thanks to a new partnership with the University of Manchester.
A single layer of carbon atoms make up graphene, and these atoms are bonded together by what looks like a flat honeycomb pattern, which is one million times thinner than paper and the substance has also been called the world’s strongest material, by Columbia University.
Thanks to this partnership, lab tests have been conducted to show that the rubber outsoles of these shoes are likely to be stronger, more flexible, and more resistant to wear and tear than current running shoes on the market.
The launch of these new graphene-infused shoes, called the G-Series, is scheduled for 2018, as inov-8 released a video to showcase the prototype runners in action.
The University of Manchester has actually been at the forefront of developing graphene. In the early 2000s, a researcher at the University, Andre Geim, worked with a colleague, Kostya Novoselov, to investigate the substance further and found that using tape with graphite made the layers much thinner. By 2010, both had won the Nobel Prize in physics, due to their pioneering work.
In a statement, Michael Price, inov-8 product and marketing director, said: “The new rubber we have developed with the National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester allows us to smash the limits of grip.”
Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, reader in nanomaterials at the University of Manchester, added: “Despite being the thinnest material in the world, graphene is also the strongest, and is 200 times stronger than steel.”
“When added to the rubber used in inov-8’s G-Series shoes, graphene imparts all its properties, including its strength. Our unique formulation makes these outsoles 50% stronger, 50% more stretchy and 50% more resistant to wear than the corresponding industry standard rubber without graphene.”
“The graphene-enhanced rubber can flex and grip to all surfaces more effectively, without wearing down quickly, providing reliably strong, long-lasting grip.
“This is a revolutionary consumer product that will have a huge impact on the sports footwear market.”