Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Sep 04, 2026 11:58 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

Michael A. Brook

Professor, McMaster University
I am Chemistry Professor and researcher at McMaster University. The main focus of our research work is the preparation of silicone-based materials. Silicone polymers are used in many areas of technology, from LED lighting to biomaterials; most people will be familiar with the feel of silicones as sealants in bathtubs or personal care products like cosmetics and antiperspirant sticks. Our research is focussed on improving the process to make silicones or, more interestingly, to make new silicones.

Silicones are normally complex mixtures of materials. More precise materials have much narrower ranges of properties. We are developing highly branched silicones that can be used to moderate the properties of ‘sticky’ silicone adhesives used in wound dressings and sealants for HEPA filters in sensitive healthcare applications.

As part of a focus on Green Chemistry in our research, we are incorporating natural materials in silicone polymers. The presence of the natural materials significantly improves the sustainability of the silicones. A far more interesting result is the new suite of properties that the natural materials convey into the silicones. We have created silicone elastomers based on soybean oil, prepared thermally stable silicone foams using lignin, an ingredient of wood, and most recently created new silicone copolymers by degrading used automobile tires. In the latter case, none of the materials are green, but the process provides a method that closes the loop on tires by allowing the recovery of useful materials from what is otherwise a complex, environmental burden.

A new recycling technique breaks down old tires into reusable materials

Jan 14, 2020 23:27 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Approximately three billion automobile tires were produced worldwide in 2019 alone. Automobile tires are the classic example of a high-volume product derived from non-renewable petroleum resources that is designed for...

Economy

JPMorgan Sees ECB Raising Rates to 2.75% in December

JPMorgan now expects the European Central Bank (ECB) to raise interest rates for a third time in December, lifting its policy rate to 2.75% as persistent inflation, higher energy costs and resilient eurozone growth...

Asian Currencies Rise as Yen Surges on Fed Rate Outlook

Asian currencies strengthened on Friday, led by a sharp rally in the Japanese yen as the U.S. dollar weakened following dovish comments from Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller. The yen was heading for a weekly...

US Oil Blockade Deepens Iran’s Economic Crisis

Iran is facing mounting economic strain as a U.S. campaign targeting its oil exports, financial networks and sanctions-evasion channels increasingly restricts Tehrans access to foreign currency and essential imports,...

U.S. Payrolls Seen Rebounding in August as Labor Market Stays Soft

U.S. payroll growth is expected to have recovered in August as local government education employment rebounded, although job losses linked to changes in immigration protections could limit overall gains. Economists...

Gold Prices Hold Near $4,500 as Fed Rate Hike Bets Ease

Gold prices hovered near $4,500 an ounce on Thursday, extending a strong rebound as Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Wallers comments reduced expectations for a September interest rate hike. A softer U.S. dollar and...

Politics

Milei Threatens Falkland Oil Firms With Sanctions

Argentine President Javier Milei has threatened sanctions against oil companies operating around the Falkland Islands, escalating Argentinas long-running sovereignty dispute with Britain over the South Atlantic territory....

South Korea, US Discuss Chip Investments Amid Tariff Plans

South Korea and the United States are holding discussions over semiconductor investments in U.S. manufacturing as the two countries navigate broader economic and trade negotiations, a senior Seoul official said Friday. The...

Trump Seeks Europe Repayment for U.S. Ukraine Military Aid

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he plans to ask European nations to reimburse the United States for military aid and munitions previously supplied to Ukraine, while signaling that U.S. weapons sales to allies...

Brazil Warns EU of Retaliation Over Animal Products Ban

Brazil has warned that it could impose reciprocal measures against the European Union if negotiations fail to resolve a new EU ban on Brazilian animal products, raising the prospect of fresh trade tensions between the two...

Pacific Leaders Raise Alarm Over China Missile Test as Nauru Dissents

Pacific Island leaders have raised concerns over Chinas latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in the Pacific, although Nauru formally rejected the regional blocs position during an annual summit in Palau....

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Anthropic Nears $15 Billion Credit Deal Ahead of IPO

Anthropic is reportedly close to finalizing an expansion of its revolving credit facility to $15 billion, strengthening the artificial intelligence companys financial position ahead of its widely anticipated initial public...

Xiaomi Shares Jump on Europe EV Expansion Plan

Xiaomi shares climbed sharply on Friday after the Chinese technology giant confirmed plans to begin selling its electric vehicles in Europe in 2027, marking a major step in its international EV expansion. Xiaomi Corp...

Nvidia Eyes $2.5 Billion Investment in Thinking Machines Lab

Nvidia is reportedly in discussions to invest about $2.5 billion in Thinking Machines Lab, the artificial intelligence startup founded by former OpenAI executive Mira Murati, as the chip giant continues to expand its...

Chinese AI Stocks Rally After OpenAI Launches GPT-6 Astra

Chinese AI stocks rallied on Friday after OpenAI unveiled GPT-6 Astra, its latest artificial intelligence model, fueling investor optimism over accelerating AI development and the commercial potential of advanced AI...

OpenAI Launches GPT-6 Astra With Advanced AI Agent Capabilities

OpenAI unveiled GPT-6 Astra on Thursday, describing it as its most capable artificial intelligence model yet as the company confronts growing concerns over the safety and control of increasingly autonomous AI systems. The...