Triethylamine as a tuning agent of the MIL-125 particle morphology and its effect on the photocatalytic activity

MIL-125 is prepared using a modified version of a previously reported strategy, in which different ratios of trimethylamine (TEA) are added to the reaction mixture. It is shown that TEA made the synthesis of MIL-125 more feasible, at lower temperatures, and limiting the formation of TiO2. The solids are then characterized by various means and finally studied in the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The shape and size of MIL-125 particles can be tuned by varying the number of TEA equivalents, with the smallest particles yielding the highest rate of RhB decomposition. It is found that the adsorption of the photocatalyst on MIL-125 plays an important role in the photodegradation mechanism of the dye.