Abstract
The effects of cerium substitution, use of additives, and heating temperature on the chemical composition and catalytic activity of iron phosphate were evaluated. Iron–cerium phosphate was prepared from iron nitrate, ammonium cerium nitrate, and sodium phosphate in ethylene glycol using sodium dodecyl-sulfate or acetylacetone as additive. The chemical composition, particle shape and size distribution of the obtained samples were respectively evaluated based on ICP and XRD, SEM, and laser diffraction/scattering analysis. The catalytic activity was evaluated based on the decomposition of the complex formed from formaldehyde, ammonium acetate, and acetylacetone. XRD peaks corresponding to FePO4 were observed for the samples heated at 600 ℃ whereas samples treated at lower temperatures were amorphous. Iron–cerium phosphates heated at 200 ℃ and 400 ℃ exhibited high catalytic activity for the decomposition of the aforementioned complex.