1：Experimental Design and Method Selection:

The synthesis involved hydrolysis of imidazolium trichlorozincate ionic liquids (ILs) with aqueous NaOH to produce hybrid ZnO or simonkolleite materials. The method was based on using ILs as precursors and organized media to control morphology. Photocatalytic reactions (water splitting and methane activation) were conducted under UV-visible light irradiation at 25°C.

2：Sample Selection and Data Sources:

Ionic liquids (BMI.Cl and DMI.Cl) were prepared following a reported procedure. Zinc chloride anhydrous (97% P.A.) and commercial ZnO (wurtzite) were used as references. Solvents (acetonitrile, deionized water, acetone) and standard gases (H2, CO, CO2, CH4, C2H4, C2H6) were purchased.

3：List of Experimental Equipment and Materials:

Equipment included Schlenk flasks, centrifuges, quartz reactors, Xe 300 W Cermax lamp, gas chromatograph (Agilent 6820 with Porapak Q column, TCD, FID), NMR spectrometer (400 MHz Varian), FTIR spectrometer (Bruker Alpha-P), ESI-MS (Waters micromass Q-Tof microTM), TGA (Q50 TA), TEM (JEOL JEM1200 EXII), SEM (Zeiss EVO MA10), UV-Vis spectrometer (Shimadzu UV-2450), XRD (D-5000 Siemens-Bruker-AXS), XPS (Omicron-SPHERA). Materials included ZnCl2, BMI.Cl, DMI.Cl, NaOH, solvents, and standard gases.

4：Experimental Procedures and Operational Workflow:

For synthesis, ionic adducts (RMI.ZnCl3) were prepared by reacting RMI.Cl with ZnCl2 at 80°C for 1h, followed by dropwise addition of NaOH solution (10 M or 1 M) and stirring at 80°C for 5h or 20h. Products were washed with acetonitrile, water, and acetone, centrifuged, and dried. For photocatalysis, catalysts were suspended in water/ethanol or impregnated on slides, irradiated with Xe lamp, and gaseous products analyzed by GC.

5：0h. Products were washed with acetonitrile, water, and acetone, centrifuged, and dried. For photocatalysis, catalysts were suspended in water/ethanol or impregnated on slides, irradiated with Xe lamp, and gaseous products analyzed by GC. Data Analysis Methods:

5. Data Analysis Methods: Characterization included NMR, FTIR, ESI-MS, TGA, TEM, SEM, UV-Vis, XRD, XPS, and GC. Data analysis used software like ImageJ for particle size, FULLPROF for XRD, and deconvolution for XPS.