Structure, morphology, size and application of iron phosphate

Abstract Iron phosphates have rich chemical structures with various morphologies and sizes. Since they are environment friendly with good biocompatibility, they have good performances in the fields of catalysis and battery electrode material rising in recent years, as well as in the traditional fields like agriculture and steel. They also have important applications in adsorption, separation and concentration due to their unique structural characteristics. In this paper, iron phosphates are classified based on their common characteristics such as structure, morphology and size, and their application in the past two decades is reviewed, with emphasis on their application in adsorption, separation and concentration of different species. Further, their application in adsorption, separation and concentration of heavy metals is prospected.