Oxygen-Deficient TiO2-δ Synthesized from MIL-125 Metal-Organic Framework for Photocatalytic Dye Degradation

Two of the biggest limitations for titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a photocatalysis are the lack of visible light response and the need for higher surface areas in order to maximize sites where reactions can take place. In this work, a Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), specifically MIL-125, is employed as a template to produce TiO2 particles with high specific surface area and well-controlled porosity. When annealed under a hydrogen atmosphere to create an oxygen deficient TiO2-delta which is black in appearance, enhanced photocatalytic properties are observed, importantly including a significant visible light response in the degradation of model pollutant Rhodamine B.