Leverkusen - At work or sauntering down the beachfront promenade, playing sports or strutting down the runway – nothing offers more support on a day-to-day basis than our shoes. The selection of functional footwear is huge. A high level of wearer comfort, improved appearance, enhanced safety and lower wear are all due to a material invented by chemist Fritz Hofmann exactly 100 years ago: Synthetic rubber. With his research, Hofmann laid the foundation for numerous rubber developments for the modern footwear industry:

Safety at work

In order to assure occupational safety when handling oil, fuel and other decomposing substances, manufacturers of corresponding protective footwear use reliable oil-resistant grades of rubber. The slip and abrasion-resistant soles of fire fighter, construction and safety boots are often made of SBR rubber or oil, acid and base-resistant XNBR rubber.

Load dampening at every step

Developments such as ethylene vinyl acetate rubber protect human joints thanks to their material structure. “Used in the midsole of running shoes, the high-performance rubber foams – depending on the polymer structure – unfold their elastic or dampening effects in order to prevent inappropriate stress and protect the joints of athletes,” says Martin Mezger, rubber expert at LANXESS. The midsole is considered the heart of all modern running shoes. It constitutes the stabilising link between the upper part and outer sole of a shoe while also assisting the heel cap in keeping the foot in the shoe. High-tech rubber therefore creates ideal conditions for runners while simultaneously meeting the biomechanical requirements of the gait cycle.  

Abrasion-resistant soles with optimum traction

But LANXESS rubber products do even more in modern running shoes: Since they are especially durable, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber products are ideal for demanding long-distance runners. The sole features a special tread to improve traction and grip. Flex zones consisting of indentations at various locations make the sole more flexible, thereby improving rollover behaviour while running. Soles made of the specialty rubber Krynac® offer optimum traction – even in wet conditions. They also last longer than other running shoes since they are highly abrasion-resistant. Each pair lasts around 1500 kilometres before it needs to be replaced.

Flexible rubber soles invoke feelings of summer

A sole with two straps – the flip-flop – makes for a somewhat more relaxed pace. This onomatopoetic name comes from the noise made by the thong sandals or simply “beach sandals” when you walk in them. And to ensure the cheerful and trendy summer accessories continue to “flip-flop”, they are equipped with especially flexible, durable and comfortable soles. Once again the consumer reaps a tangible benefit – literally – from Hofmann's invention.