To overcome the low catalytic activity and olefin selectivity problems,
porous Fe3O4 microspheres were directly synthesized through
one-pot solvothermalmethod. In particular, the pores were not provided
by supports, resulting from the aggregation of small nanocrystals. It
is proposed that the as-prepared porous structure could enhance the
dispersion of active phase but not impede the activity of active sites,
which would be promising for FT synthesis. In addition to porous
Fe3O4 microspheres, Ag+ was introduced as promoter to improve the
dispersion of Fe and regulate the size of pores. For better comparison,
Fe–0.6Ag, Fe–0.9Ag, and Fe–1.3Ag porous microspheres with different
weight percent of Ag were synthesized and used as FT catalysts.