CHEM-Es are build a little different from the rest of us.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallocene
Like Cp--M--Cp where the '--' are an unusual kind of 'bond' which is somewhat like five carbon-metal bonds, although I'm sure there is a more accurate orbital description of the interaction.
The personal focus is a distraction. It would be great if science writers could focus on the science and significance of the advance.
They're called aromatic rings because before they understood the structure, they grouped them by their behavior, and the aromatics contain a lot of volatile organics like benzene, toluene, phenol, which have strong odors.
The weird structure of the electrons in the silicon cycle may be useful as a catalyst(or not, it's too early to be sure). Imagine it is like the Platinum in the car exhaust, not the solvent in the paint remover.
On the other hand, silicone resins and elastomers are already in widespread use in applications where resistance to high temperatures or burning is required (silicone =/= silicon, the former coming from silic-on + ket-one, a name based on a wrong hypothesis).
However, their mechanical resistance is usually modest, so if that is important they must be used either in combinations with other materials or reinforced, e.g. with glass fiber.
They are also more expensive than hydrocarbon-based plastics, so they are typically used only where strictly necessary.