A novel polyethylene-supported Fe/ionic liquid complex (PEt@Fe/IL) is prepared, characterized and its catalytic performance is investigated in the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones. The chemical properties and thermal stability of the PEt@Fe/IL material were studied by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The morphology of the material was obtained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PEt@Fe/IL material was then successfully applied in the Biginelli condensation of aldehydes, urea and alkylacetoacetates to prepare a set of different 3,4-dihydropyrimidinone derivatives in high to excellent yields. The PEt@Fe/IL was recovered and reused several times without significant decrease in efficiency. The other advantages of this novel catalytic system include excellent yield, short reaction time and solvent-free conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.