Event

"When the chemistry is right, the ball rolls!"

What do jerseys, sweat and the smell of freshly mown soccer pitches have in common? The answer is: chemistry. In a public lecture, RPTU professors Johann Seibert and Georg Manolikakes explain how chemical findings and innovations have shaped modern soccer - from playing equipment and jersey materials to training and endurance.

In around an hour, the two chemists take the audience on an entertaining journey through science and sport. Among other things, they show how fullarenes - special carbon molecules - served as a structural model for classic soccer and how functional plastics ensure the correct elasticity of the playing equipment.

Topics away from the ball will also be discussed: innovative jersey materials that effectively manage sweat and odors as well as sustainable alternatives to PFAS-containing coatings.

Seibert and Manolikakes will also explore the question of why today's balls are harder to keep flat, why lactic acid plays a role in extensions and why artificial turf brings back memories of summer vacations for many people. The audience is actively involved - questions and shouts from the sidelines are expressly encouraged.

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Overview:

  • Title: "When the chemistry is right, the ball rolls!"
  • Speakers: Prof. Dr. Johann Seibert, Prof. Dr. Georg Manolikakes
  • Date: May 19, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
  • Location: at RPTU in Kaiserslautern, Chemistry Building (Building 52), Lecture Hall 207
  • Admission: free
Details
  • Tuesday, 19.05.2026
  • 05:30 pm - 06:30 pm
  • Campus Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Straße 52, 67663 Kaiserslautern
  • Vortrag
  • Präsenz
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