Catalytic oxidation at room temperature proves to be the most promising technology for HCHO abatement. The development of appropriate catalyst with high efficiency and low cost is crucial. In order to improve the catalytic activity of Ag/MnOx catalyst for formaldehyde oxidation at room temperature, modification of MnOx by Fe entailed highly improved catalytic activities due to the promoted interaction between Ag and the support. Ag/Fe-MnOx with different content of doped Fe was prepared via one-pot synthesis method and characterized by means of ICP-AES, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, and H-2-TPR. The HCHO mineralization ratio at ambient temperature of Ag/Fe-0.1-MnOx can reach 100% with an initial HCHO concentration of 230 ppm compared with 76% of Ag/MnOx catalyst. The higher catalytic activity of Ag/Fe-MnOx was resulted from the synergistic effect between Ag, Fe and MnOx nanostructure, which changed the electronic density of Ag nanoparticles and promoted higher amount of surface adsorbed oxygen as well as easier activation of gaseous O-2. This work may provide a strategy for develop composite metal catalyst for controlling indoor air pollution. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.