Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework (ZIF-8) Supported Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Applications

Abstract

Nanoparticles have gained great interest in various fundamental and applied areas of science and technology due to their tunable size dependent properties which is not achievable by their bulk counterparts. Nanoparticles are extremely reactive by virtue of their high surface energy arising from their large surface-to-volume ratio. Generally, bare nanoparticles need to be stabilized using capping agents or surfactants to prevent aggregation and coalescence, which could influence their unique properties. Therefore, the synthesis of non-aggregated nanoparticles without capping agents becomes very important. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), a promising class of porous materials have attracted great attention because of their fascinating properties such as high surface area, uniform pores, and flexible structures. Therefore, combinations of unprotected nanoparticles with a porous support material, for example, MOF as a stabilizer without affecting the properties of the nanoparticles will be quite interesting. Benefits of both MOFs and nanoparticles can be effectively integrated to obtain novel hybrids with new or enhanced properties which will have interesting applications in various fields such as catalysis, chemical sensing, gas adsorption and storage etc.