Infinergy is empowering movement: Revolutionary and innovative material that reigns superior in energy return and responsiveness

Innovative E-TPU foam technology delivers peak performance

Whether your goal is to beat a world record or just maintain your personal best, efficient energy return and responsiveness plays a pivotal role as you move. To experience this propulsive feel with every stride, the material within the equipment must be chosen correctly. With the right material, the end user will feel the energy return up front with superior cushioning and durability where they need it most.

Fueled by insights from working with our customers and partners, Infinergy®, the world’s leading high performance responsive material from BASF, is the world's first expanded thermoplastic polyurethane (E-TPU) and can be used to add next-level comfort, strength, and flexibility in a variety of applications ranging from footwear to flooring to sports equipment.

High energy return for high-performance

Conservation of energy and energy return refer to the transfer and transformation of energy among interacting bodies or particles. In applications where kinetic energy — or the energy of motion — is involved, some of this energy is converted to other forms of energy such as heat, while some is returned as kinetic energy.

“With Infinergy, what you have is a foam particle that provides all of the properties of a TPU, like chemical resistance, abrasion resistance, durability and flexibility across a wide temperature range, and nice haptics,” says Greg Sanders, Technical Sales Specialist at BASF. “By changing TPU into a foam, it creates a material that gives you these different properties, with the added benefit of a lower density, high rebound, truly performance material.”

In the resilience elasticity ISO 8307 (ball rebound) test, Infinergy achieved a rebound of over 57 percent, which is significantly higher than comparable particle foams such as expanded polypropylene (EPP) at 30 percent, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) at 37 percent, or expanded polyethylene (EPE) at 50 percent.

Like any material used in high-activity applications, durability is key. Infinergy® performed well in stress tests, and even at extremely low temperatures of -20°C (-4°F), Infinergy still had a low dynamic modulus and maintained its softness and malleability.

Infinergy® also boasts high elongation at break, high tensile strength and strong abrasion and chemical resistance. In addition, the innovative particle foam remains highly elastic and soft over a wide temperature range.

Thanks to its flexibility and molding capabilities, there’s no shortage of uses where Infinergy’s properties can be employed. Safety and running footwear, pet toys, tennis rackets, playground flooring, and bike tires can all make use of this innovative material to improve energy return and reduce weight.

Shoe science

Infinergy is already being used in athletic shoes with great success. The cushiony foam makes up the midsole material in Adidas’ wildly popular "Boost" line of running shoes, helping the sole spring back into its original shape immediately after impact.

“Infinergy, being very elastic and shock absorbing with excellent rebound properties, gives an unmatched experience for runners,” says Sanders. “Joint impact is minimized, it’s quieter, and it also operates in a wide temperature range without losing its properties, so it's very good in terms of overall durability and performance.”

In addition to running shoes, Infinergy is also used in some brands of dress and safety shoes, both applications where long-lasting comfort and durability in footwear are critical. Office workers appreciate the comfort and flexibility of dress shoes that feel like sneakers while construction workers enjoy the benefits of reliable safety boots and shoes that help absorb the impact of heavy loads.

Underfoot comfort

Aside from footwear, using Infinergy in the materials we walk or run on also has benefits. When used in flooring, Infinergy offers improved shock absorption, high rebound, and durability across a wide temperature range. In playground surfaces, for example, children enjoy the “springy” feeling Infinergy provides, not realizing that the Infinergy® is ecofriendly, strong, versatile, and highly resilient.

Treadmill decks made with Infinergy can deliver superior comfort and responsiveness to runners while minimizing noise, a key benefit over traditional treadmill decks made with medium-density fibre boards, which aren’t optimized for the dynamic loads caused by running.

An unexpected use for Infinergy? Yoga mats.

“Yogis who have tried mats made with Infinergy say that they're able to hold their poses longer because it compresses just enough, they’re able to be more stable in their yoga poses,” says Sanders. “Other users like the fact that it allows for other types of exercises too, like circuit-type exercises, burpees, and jumping jacks. It provides a lot of flexibility that you don't see in a traditional yoga mat.”

Infinite possibilities with Infinergy

Although Infinergy is a newer material, manufacturers are already starting to realize its usefulness and flexibility in a wide variety of areas. Even less conventional applications, such as pet toys and tennis rackets, can make use of Infinergy. 

Infinergy can be processed on the usual commercial steam chest molding machines designed for a minimum steam chamber pressure of 5 bar, and converters can process panels made from Infinergy on conventional splitting machines, punches and water jet cutting machines.

Finally, Infinergy is recyclable. It is compliant with the RoHS directive and does not have to be labeled under dangerous goods regulations. BASF is excited to work with and assist anyone looking for ways to implement Infinergy and its properties for their ideas and applications.

“The entire Infinergy® team at BASF is committed and focused on helping customers develop their applications. We will assist the customers from beginning to end - through sampling of the material to commercial launch,” says Sanders. “We have a global business and a global molding network and will align customers based on their needs to empower them to move forward in their markets.”

Want to learn more about Infinergy? Click Here.