Research on the effects of hydrothermal synthesis conditions on the crystal habit of MIL-121.

The investigation of the influence of hydrothermal synthesis conditions such as synthetic temperature, the amount of solvent, addition of additives including sodium hydroxide, lithium chloride and 2-methylimidazole on the morphology and size of MIL-121 was carried out. The experimental results indicated the significant impact of hydrothermal synthesis conditions on the morphologies and sizes of MIL-121 crystals. The synthesis temperature has little effect on the morphology, which is mainly reflected in the change of the aspect ratio, but the effect on the size is significant under low-temperature conditions. Additives have an important influence on the morphology and size of MIL-121. Our study provides a potential for the improvement of MIL-121 adsorption performance.