CeO2, Fe2O3, Fe2O3/Al2O3 and Ce-Fe mixed oxides with different Ce/Fe ratios were prepared and characterized using XRD, Raman, XPS, and H-2-TPR techniques. The selective oxidation of methane to syngas using a gas-solid reaction was investigated at 850 degrees C. For binary Ce-Fe oxides, only small amounts of iron ions could be incorporated into the CeO2 lattice with the superfluous Fe2O3 remaining on the surface of the molecule. Chemical interactions between surface iron sites and the Ce-Fe solid solution strongly enhanced the reducibility of materials. Methane was found to adsorb and activate on the surface iron sites as carbonaceous species and hydrogen. Carbon deposition was selectively oxidized to CO by the release of activated oxygen from the CeO2 lattice. The activation rate of methane was dependent on the quality of dispersion of surface Fe species, while the oxygen mobility of the material dominated the CO formation rate. Hydrothermally prepared Ce0.7Fe0.3O2-delta showed high activity and selectivity during the successive production of syngas using repetitive redox processes (methane reduction/air re-oxidation). Both the dispersion of surface Fe2O3 and the formation of the Ce-Fe solid solution were enhanced by the redox treatment, which made the oxygen carrier more stable. Crown copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.