Graphene trainers

Tougher than diamond, stretchier than rubber: it’s a wonder, really, that the hardest substance on Earth hasn’t found its way into more of our day-to-day products. A new pair of running shoes developed by researchers at the University of Manchester seeks to change that, partnering with all-terrain apparel company inov-8 to produce the world’s first graphene trainers.

Promising to “smash the limits of grip”, the shoes are for gym-goers and outdoor runners alike, who have previously had to choose between “a sticky rubber that works well in sweaty conditions” or “a harder rubber that is more durable but not quite as grippy”.

That’s where graphene, a form of carbon 200-times stronger than steel and just an atom thick, comes in. To create inov-8’s G-series range, the research team heated the rubber used for its soles and added in microscopic particles of graphene.

The end result is, its creators say, twice as durable and half the weight of ordinary running shoes, and go on sale on Thursday, priced from £140 (inov-8. com/eu/graphene).

They’re unquestionably lightweight and, if the Mudclaw G 260 and Terraultra G 260 iterations are anything to go by, have something of the Godzilla about them, looks-wise. While they do feel sturdy, claims that they can outlast 1,000 miles on the most gruelling of surfaces might, for this occasional runner, take a while to verify. Beyond trainers, there is much potential for the ultra-tough stuff to be used in things from surgical gloves to protective equipment, says Dr Aravind Vijayaraghavan, reader in nanomaterials at the University of Manchester, at which two scientists discovered graphene in 2004, and were later awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010.

“It’s extraordinarily flexible,” he explains, “and can be bent, twisted, folded and stretched without incurring any damage.”

Ah, but will they help you break your personal best?