First soles for running shoes using graphene
Runners can now take on tricky terrain in shoes designed to grip brilliantly and last for ages – thanks to a substance stronger than steel.
Scientists at the University of Manchester and British sportswear brand inov-8 have developed the world’s first soles for running shoes using graphene – a substance only discovered 15 years ago but whose properties are considered to be revolutionary. And after 18 months of research and development, hundreds of prototypes and thousands of hours of testing, inov-8’s G-SERIES shoes have gone on sale.
Changing the face of sportswear
A form of carbon, graphene is both 200 times stronger than steel and the thinnest known material in the world – a combination with great potential. Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, reader in nanomaterials at the university, explained: “Graphene is extraordinarily flexible, and can be bent, twisted, folded and stretched without incurring any damage.
“The graphene-enhanced rubber can flex and grip to all surfaces more effectively, without wearing down quickly, providing reliably strong, long-lasting grip.” In testing, the soles have lasted for more than 1,000 miles.
The two physicists who discovered graphene in 2004 – Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, both also based at the university – were awarded the 2010 Nobel prize in physics for their work. The university has since set up the National Graphene Institute, where more than 200 researchers are working with more than 80 companies to discover how graphene can be used. The university has already unveiled a sports car, medical devices and a dress.
Michael Price, product and marketing director for Inov-8, said the shoes had “the world’s toughest grip”, enabling off-road runners and athletes to optimise their performance as never before.
“For too long, they have had to compromise this need for grip with the knowledge that such rubber wears down quickly,” he said. “Prior to this innovation, they had to choose between a sticky rubber that works well in wet or sweaty conditions but wears down quicker and a harder rubber that is more durable but not quite as grippy.
With the newly discovered graphene, there’s no need to make that compromise – and inov-8 are fully on board with the developments and testing, with plans to incorporate graphene into half of its running shoes. In the coming decades the material is expected to revolutionise sports products.
Graphene research
Of course, graphene development isn’t limited to sportswear.If your company or department is looking into the uses and benefits of graphene or any other material, you may be able to claim tax back from the government through research and development tax credits. The scheme is designed to encourage and reward research and innovation – but ironically, innovators are often too busy innovating to even know they could apply. Which is where R&D Tax Solutions can help – we’re a specialist consultancy, so can take on all the legwork and form-filling for your r&d tax claim for you. Have a look at our r&d tax credit calculator to see what your claim could be worth – or call our Manchester office to find out more.
