<p>In the catalytic cracking of naphtha to olefins, the catalytic performance of ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst is affected by both the diffusion property and acidity of zeolite catalyst, and it is of great significance to enhance the catalytic performance of zeolite by adjusting the two factors reasonably. In this work, Fe was in situ introduced into the synthesis system by ammonium fluoride-assisted route, and plate-like ZSM-5 zeolites with different Fe contents were effectively prepared. The dimension along the <i>b</i>-axis of the plate-like zeolite crystal was tuned around at 100&#xa0;nm. The XRD and UV-vis analysis demonstrate the effective incorporation of Fe species into ZSM-5 framework. The acidity characterization indicates that the Fe species can effectively reduce zeolite acid strength. Catalytic cracking of n-heptane was chosen to investigate the catalytic properties of the plate-like zeolites. The plate-like ZSM-5 zeolite can effectively improve propylene selectivity and catalytic stability in comparison with the sample C-Z. Meanwhile, by introducing a small amount of Fe, the contribution of monomolecular reaction can be enhanced and the hydrogen transfer reaction can thus be suppressed, leading to higher propylene yield and improved catalytic stability.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>