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While studying different cross-linking structures in silicone, the research team stumbled upon the potential for electrical conductivity in a copolymer, which is a polymer chain containing two different types of repeating units—cage-structured and then linear silicones in this case.

The possibility for conductivity arises from the way electrons can move across Si—O—Si bonds with overlapping orbitals. Semiconductors have two main states: the ground state, which doesn’t conduct electricity, and a conducting state, which does. The conducting state, also known as an excited state, occurs when some electrons jump up to the next electron orbital, which is connected across the material like a metal.

Black Donuts Inc. has announced the launch of InTire Labs, a new independent material research center located in Tampere, Finland. The facility, officially open on July 16, 2025, is designed to accelerate the development of sustainable tire and rubber materials. It will serve as a neutral and confidential platform for research and development, supporting tire manufacturers, rubber product producers, and raw material suppliers worldwide.

Falken Tyre Europe GmbH announced the appointment of Hiroshi Hamada as its new Managing Director, Chairman & CEO.

Hamada has enjoyed 33 years at Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), initially joining the company back in 1992 – then named The Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Company. In 2018, Hamada became Vice President of SRI China and President of Dunlop Tire in China. From2024, Hamada continues to serve as Senior Executive Officer of SRI.

Goodyear in collaboration with Canine Companions® and Peanuts®, the Goodyear Blimp will transport a group of eight-week-old puppies from Smyrna, Tennessee, to Nashville for the first time in its iconic 100-year history.

This inaugural flight is an exciting new mode of transportation for these future service dogs, who usually travel by plane to their volunteer puppy raisers throughout the country.

The pups who are destined for service dog careers will be joined in the air by arguably the most famous canine of them all: Snoopy.

Bridgestone Corporation has announced its continued support for the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC), unveiling a new generation of sustainable tires featuring ENLITEN™ technology. These cutting-edge tires mark a milestone in eco-innovation, incorporating over 65% recycled and renewable materials—the highest ratio ever used by the company in motorsports.

At the EUROMAP General Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany, the European plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers have elected their new presidency. Tobias Baur, CSO of the German injection molding specialist ARBURG GmbH & Co KG, is the new President of the European umbrella association.

Sumitomo Rubber North America (SRNA), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. announced the promotion of Cliff Stewart to Associate Vice President of Four-Wheel Replacement Sales and Christopher de Rosales to Associate Vice President of Strategic Planning

Bridgestone Retail Operations (BSRO), a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, has donated $100,000 to Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) following a two-week campaign where the company made a financial gift for every My Firestone and Tires Plus app downloaded by store customers.

As part of the campaign, BSRO and WWP also hosted an injured veteran and their guest at the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, where they received exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the iconic race.  

Teknor Apex announced the acquisition of Danimer Scientific (“Danimer”), a leading bioplastics company focused on the development and production of biodegradable materials. This strategic move brings together two industry pioneers united by a shared vision for a more sustainable future. Headquartered in Bainbridge, Georgia, USA, Danimer operates two facilities with over 200,000 total square feet of world-class laboratories, manufacturing facilities, and testing space.

Endurica, the developer and provider of the world’s most comprehensive CAE workflows for fatigue analysis of elastomers, is now an authorized distributor for Coreform, a leader in next-generation simulation technologies. Coreform Cubit’s pre-processing and hex-dominant meshing tools minimize the time spent on model preparation for FEA and CFD while maximizing control over mesh quality. The addition of Coreform to Endurica’s toolset enables rubber product manufacturers and tire makers to automate and streamline mesh creation which is the most time-consuming part of computer simulation modelling.