Size and crystal morphology of MOFs can be precisely controlled via the presence of additives such as initiation solvents, coordination modulators or capping agents, surfactants, and hard templates or through synthetic techniques using pyrolysis, ultrasound and microreactor. Some complexities regarding the respective methods are usage of harmful organic solvents, use of acidic or basic modulators that increase risk of safety hazards and difficulty in isolating the hard templates after preparation. Whilst these three MOF synthetic techniques can only be carried out with specialized instrument, a common limitation of these approaches is the formation of predominantly nanoparticle products. The work reported here uses a surfactantassisted method which serves as a multifaceted approach; functioning as a nanoreactor, a capping agent as well as a molecular template. The current study highlights a new one-pot surfactant-based synthesis method to control particle size and morphology of MOF crystals by utilizing a synthetic polymer, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). HPAM is a low cost and water-soluble polymer widely used for enhanced oil recovery in petroleum drilling processes, as well as being used as a flocculant for wastewater treatment where its benign effects on water quality are noted. Finally, a non-toxic and hydrothermally stable aluminum-based MOF, MIL-96 (Al) was chosen to be tested for liquid phase adsorption of PFOA. Given the positive surface charge for MIL-96, HPAM must be anionic to initiate particle aggregation. In addition, PFOA adsorption performance by the modified material was benchmarked with a commercial AC to understand the interaction mechanisms better.