To reveal the metal oxide−support interactions in ZrO2-supported Fe oxide catalysts as a function of calcination
temperature, 5 wt % Fe/ZrO2 was characterized by means of 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy, IR, XRD, and
thermogravimetric analysis. The catalytic activity of Fe/ZrO2 was examined at 523 K for NO−CO reaction.
It is shown that when Fe/ZrO2 is calcined below 573 K, small particles of hydrated Fe3+ oxyhydroxides
(superparamagnetic at 297 K) are formed together with Fe3+ paramagnetic species ion-exchanged with the
surface OH groups of ZrO2. In addition to the Fe3+ ion-exchanged species, Fe3+ oxide clusters and crystalline
α-Fe2O3 particles are formed by successive dehydration of the oxyhydroxides on calcination at 973 K. When
Fe/ZrO2 is calcined at 1073 or 1173 K, the Mössbauer spectroscopic results suggest the formation of Fe3+
cations trapped in surface vacant sites of ZrO2 at the expense of the Fe3+ oxide clusters. On the calcination
at a higher temperature, crystalline α-Fe2O3 predominates with a small portion of the Fe3+ cations being in
surface vacant sites. With 2 wt % Fe/ZrO2 prepared by a coprecipitation method and calcined at 1173−1373
K, Fe3+ cations dissolved in a ZrO2 lattice are formed in addition to a small amount of magnetically split
component.