Several catalysts comprising Pt supported on octahedral Fe3O4（Pt/Fe3O4） were prepared by a facile method involving co-precipitation followed by thermal treatment at different temperatures. A variety of characterization results revealed that this preparation process afforded highly crystalline octahedral Fe3O4 with a uniform distribution of Pt nanoparticles on its surface. The thermal-treatment temperature significantly influenced the redox properties of the Pt/Fe3O4 catalysts. All the Pt/Fe3O4 catalysts were found to be catalytically active and stable for the oxidation of low-concentration formaldehyde（HCHO） with oxygen. The catalyst prepared by thermal treatment at 80 °C（labelled Pt/Fe3O4-80） exhibited the highest catalytic activity, efficiently converting HCHO to CO2 and H2 O under ambient temperature and moisture conditions. The excellent performance of Pt/Fe3O4-80 was mainly attributed to beneficial interactions between the Pt and Fe species that result in the formation a higher density of active interface sites（e.g., Pt-O-FeO x and Pt-OH-FeO x）. The introduction of water vapor improves the catalytic activity of the Pt/Fe3O4 catalysts as it participates in a water-assisted dissociation process.
