The iron-ceria mixed oxide catalysts with different iron contents were prepared by a citrate acid sol-gel method, and were investigated by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption, XRD, H-2-TPR, Raman spectroscopy, etc. The performances of catalysts were evaluated for the soot combustion with O-2 or O-2/NO gases in "tight contact" condition. The results show that in the Fe-Ce-O catalyst Fe3+ can be doped into the ceria lattice and Fe-Ce-O solid solution is formed; the presence of Fe in CeO2 can increase the oxygen vacancy concentration and decrease the crystallite sizes of the catalyst; the Fe-Ce-O catalyst (Fe/Ce = 1/9, mol) calcined at 600 degrees C possesses higher oxygen vacancy concentration on its surface, resulting in the maximal storage ability for nitrite/nitrate species on its surface and high catalytic activities for NO oxidation and the "NO2-assistance" soot combustion. In "tight contact" condition, as the oxidation of NO is inhibited, the "NO2-assistance" soot combustion is partly limited. With the soot particles gradually consumed, the contact between the soot and catalyst becomes loose, resulting in an improvement of the NO oxidation to NO2 and "NO2-assistance" soot combustion. We suppose that soot catalytic combustion by O-2 and NO2 is simultaneously existed, in which the oxygen vacancy concentration on the Fe-CeO2 catalysts is a key factor to influence the catalytic performance. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.