Bi-functional catalysts were prepared to contain Ni, Pt or both, supported on a HUSY zeolite, with the following metal contents: catalysts 30, 130 and 180 x 10(-6) atg metal/g catalyst. These catalysts resulted from a competitive ion exchange with the use of aqueous solutions from [Ni(NH3)(6)]Cl-2 and [Pt(NH3)(4)]Cl-2 complexes. The catalysts were provided with a scheduled temperature reduction (TPR) and subjected to a catalytic assessment on the n-hexane isomerization at 250 degrees C and 1 atm. TPR results showed larger reducibility of Ni+2 cations in the presence of Pt. Bi-metallic Ni-Pt catalysts showed to have smaller deactivation and much higher activity compared to monometallic Ni catalysts. The selectivity for the production of di-ramified alkanes increases as the Ni content increases. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.