Synthesis of TRD ZIF-8 Nanoparticles

TRD ZIF-8 nanoparticles were synthesized as reported previously^{33 (link)}. In a typical synthesis of the TRD ZIF-8 nanoparticles with the diameter of 260 nm and {110}/{100} exposure ratio of 0.43, Zn(OAC)₂·2H₂O (300.0 mg) was dissolved in 5.0 mL of deionized (DI) water. In a separate beaker, 2-methylimidazole (1170.0 mg) and CTAB (9.7 mg) were dissolved in 5.0 mL of DI water. The two solutions were mixed together in a 100 mL round bottom flask, and the mixture was stirred for a few seconds. Then, the resulting solution was placed at room temperature for 2.5 h. The obtained TRD ZIF-8 nanoparticles were washed with DI water for three times and collected by centrifuging at 9000 rpm (centrifugal force, 9690 g) for 10 min. The final products were dispersed in 10.0 mL of ethanol (20 mg/mL). The other ZIF-8 nanoparticles with different sizes and {110}/{100} exposure ratios were synthesized by tunning the reaction time and CTAB/2-methylimidazole ratio.