Dear Colleagues,

The 54th North American Silicon Symposium will bring together academic, industrial, and government silicon scientists and engineers from around the world to share in the most recent advances surrounding the element silicon, with the general theme of “Silicon(s) Chemistry Enables Sustainability”. For over half a century, this unaffiliated gathering has met in more than 25 different states and provinces in the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Please join us from May 27-29, 2025 for invited talks, insightful seminars, engaging poster sessions, and the traditional conference banquet.

This instalment of the Symposium will be held at the picturesque Prince of Wales Hotel in beautiful downtown Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.  

The Symposium is interested in presentations related to all aspects of silicon chemistry, from small organic and inorganic molecules containing silicon – and what they teach about mechanistic silicon chemistry – to polymers and network solids containing silicon, and everything in between. 

As part of the Symposium, we are also organizing a special session, in addition to the traditional topics, devoted to sustainable silicones both because it is timely and also because it provides a chance for Prof. Mike Brook, who has retired, to give a plenary lecture on the subject. 

We are soliciting both academic and industrial contributions to fill out the lecture portion in areas including: 

·      Recyclable silicones

o   Used in the same application

o   Degraded to cyclics or chlorosilanes

·      Biodegradable silicones

o   Designing for degradation

o   Examining the environmental fate of silicones

·      Life Cycle Analysis of different types of silicones

·      Strategies for formulation

o   Diluting elastomers with fillers of lower carbon footprint

o   Silicone/organic materials

·      New industrial strategies to enhance sustainability

o   Upstream (sand to silicon; silicon to silicones)

·      Processing of fluids

·      Green approaches to silicone elastomers

o   More benign catalysts

o   Catalyst free (organic cure)

o   Thermoplastic elastomers

We are soliciting financial support for the entire Symposium, but in particular for this special session that, we hope, will bring together primary producers, secondary producers, and formulators.  In particular, we hope to show off the strength of the Canadian silicone industry.

Additional information regarding registration, room booking, and abstract submission will be available shortly and can be viewed on the Symposium website.  We look forward to engaging with you at the Symposium!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes,

Paul

54th Silicon Symposium - Save the Date - Draft 3.pdf