Donald W. Breck Award
| Donald W. Breck of the Union Carbide Corporation
was a major figure in the early development of synthetic molecular
sieves and one of the founders of the IZA. His landmark book
published in 1974, "Zeolite Molecular Sieves: Structure, Chemistry,
and Use", summarized the first 25 years of zeolite science and
technology, and occupies a special place in the library of any
molecular sieve scientist. Following his untimely death in 1980, the Union Carbide Corporation proposed the establishment of an award in his memory to be sponsored by Union Carbide Corporation and administered by the International Zeolite Association. The first award was presented in 1983 at the Sixth IZC in Reno, NV. In 1988, with the formation of a joint venture between the Union Carbide CAPS Division and UOP LLC, sponsorship was assumed by UOP LLC. The award, in the amount of $12000, is presented at each IZA conference "to an individual or group for significant contribution to molecular sieve science and technology achieved since the last conference." A Nominating Committee is appointed by the IZA Council for the subsequent meeting and a call for nominations will appear in early Conference circulars. The IZA Protocol for the Donald W. Breck Award can be viewed here. |
| Breck Award Recipients | ||
| : | : | : |
| 2025 | Prof. Feng-Shou Xiao & Prof. Liang Wang for their innovations in zeolite synthesis and catalysis enabling industrial application. |
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| 2022 | Suk Bong Hong for developing innovative synthetic methodologies including the synergistic use of organic and inorganic structured-directing agents that resulted in new zeolite framework types. |
|
| 2019 | Stephen K. Brand, Joel E. Schmidt, Michael
W. Deem, Frits Daeyaer, Yanhang Ma, Osamu Terasaki, Marat Orazov,
Mark E. Davis for the discovery of enantiomerically enriched STW-type zeolite. |
|
| 2016 | Svetlana Mintova and Valentin Valtchev CNRS, Laboratory of Catalysis and Spectroscopy, Caen, France for the understanding the nucleation of organic-free hydrogel systems leading to rational design of industrially relevant zeolites |
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| 2013 | Jürgen Caro and Michael Tsapatsis Leibnitz University, Hannover and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities for the assembly and processing of zeolite and MOF nanostructures enabling separation membranes |
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| 2010 | Yushan Yan and Ryong Ryoo University of California, Riverside and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology for their respective contributions in advancing the science of zeolite thin films and the direct synthesis of zeolite nanosheets |
|
| 2007 | Osamu Terasaki, Lynne B. McCusker and
Christian Baerlocher Stockholm University, Sweden and ETH Zurich, Switzerland for their outstanding contribution to the structural elucidation of inorganic molecular sieves |
|
| 2004 | Avelino Corma Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica, UPV-CSIC, Valencia, Spain for the development of tin-containing zeolites and their application in Baeyer-Villiger oxidation and the innovative use of germanium to synthesize new zeolite structures |
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| 2001 | Stacey Zones Chevron Research Company, Richmond, CA for his fundamental studies on organic structure directing agents and their influence on molecular sieve preparations that have led to new insights on synthesis, new materials and new commercial processes. |
|
| 1998 | P.A. Jacobs, D. De Vos, P.P. Knops-Gerrits,
I.F.J. Vankelecom, D. Tas and R.F. Parton Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium for having advanced our knowledge on ship-in-the-bottle syntheses of transition metal complexes in molecular sieves and for the use of such materials as enzyme-mimicking catalysts in oxidation and enantioselective hydrogenation reactions |
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| 1996 | Michael M.J. Treacy Exxon Research and Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ NEC Research Institute, Inc., Princeton, NJ for his contributions to the characterization and elucidation of intergrowths in FAU/EMT zeolites |
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| 1994 | C.T. Kresge, M.E. Leonowicz, W.J. Roth, J.C.
Vartuli and J.S. Beck Mobil Research and Development Corporation, Princeton and Paulsboro, NJ for preparing the first ordered mesoporous silicate and aluminosilicate materials containing pores in the range of 16 to 100 Å |
|
| 1992 | G. Bellussi, M. Clerici, V. Fattore, B.
Notari, G. Perego, F. Buonomo, A. Esposito, F. Maspero, C. Neri and
U. Romano Enirecerche S.p.A., Milan, Italy for advancing our knowledge of the structures and properties of titanium MFI-type zeolites and for demonstrating both the potential and applications of these novel catalysts for partial oxidation reactions |
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| 1989 | M.E. Davis, C. Saldarriaga, C. Montes, J.
Garces and C. Crowder Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA for the recognition of VPI-5 as the first 18-ring molecular sieve |
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| 1986 | H. Pfeifer, D. Freude, J. Kärger Karl-Marx-Universität, Leipzig, GDR M. Bülow Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Berlin, GDR for NMR investigations of acidity and molecular transport in zeolites |
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| 1983 | S.T. Wilson, C.A. Messina, T.R. Cannan, B.M.
Lok and E.M. Flanigen Union Carbide Corporation, Tarrytown, NY for the discovery of aluminophosphate molecular sieves |
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last updated: 5-Jun-2025