Pt nanoparticles (1.0-1.4 nm size) supported on Ce1-xLaxO2-delta (x=0.0, 0.2, 05, 0.8 and 1.0) carriers, the latter prepared by the citrate sol-gel method, were tested toward the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction in the 200-400 degrees C range. A deep insight into the effect of Ce/La atom ratio of support chemical composition on the catalytic performance (CO conversion vs. temperature and stability) and kinetic rates of Pt-loaded catalysts was realized after employing HAADF/STEM, in situ Raman and DRIFT spectroscopies under different gas atmospheres, temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) in He and O-2/He gas atmospheres following WGS reaction, CO-TPD, in situ UV-vis/DRS, oxygen storage capacity measurements, and transient O-18-isotopic exchange studies followed by WGS reaction. It was found that doping of ceria with 20 at.% La3+ has increased significantly the catalytic activity of 0.5 wt% Pt/Ce0.8La0.2O2-delta solid in the 250-350 degrees C range, whereas addition of 50-80 at.% La3+ in ceria caused a negative effect on the CO conversion with respect to pure ceria. It was found that the Ce/La atom ratio in Ce1-xLaxO2-delta influences the catalytic site reactivity (k) along the Pt-support interface. The optimum La3+-dopant concentration of 20 at.% (Ce/La = 4/1) used in Pt/Ce0.8La0.2O2 compared to the worst one of 80 at.% (Pt/Ce0.2La0.8O2-delta, Ce/La = 1/4) correlates with (i) the higher specific kinetic rate per length of Pt-support interface (mu mol CO cm(-1) s(-1)), (ii) the higher concentration of oxygen vacant sites, (iii) the lower amount (mu mol/g(-1)) of "carbon" accumulated during WGS and best stability with time on stream, (iv) the lower apparent activation energy (kcal mol(-1)) of WGS reaction, (v) the lower degree toward Pt oxidation (largest Pt2+/Pt4+ ratio), (vi) the lower Ce1-xLaxO2-delta support energy band gap, and (vii) the lower mobility of surface lattice oxygen. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.