Al-ZSM-5 was prepared by treating H-ZSM-5 with an aqueous solution of Al(NO3)(3) and used as a support for Pt catalysts. The Pt-loaded Al-ZSM-5 acts as an efficient catalyst for CO oxidation with N2O at 273 K. TEM investigations revealed that Pt clusters with an average particle size of around 1-1.5 nm were homogeneously dispersed within Al-ZSM-5. Moreover, FT-IR and XPS analyses indicated that the small Al2O3 clusters formed within Al-ZSM-5 plays a significant role in the formation of highly dispersed Pt clusters within the pore structure of the ZSM-5 zeolite, leading to the high catalytic activity of Pt/Al-ZSM-5 as compared to Pt/ZSM-5.