In this work, the effect of the thermal treatment temperature of the support on the behavior of Pt/CeZrO2/Al2O3 catalysts on the methane partial oxidation was evaluated. BET surface area, metal dispersion and oxygen storage capacities and hydrogen consumption during TPR decreased with the increase of the thermal aging temperature. During the reaction of partial oxidation of methane, Pt/CeZrO2/Al2O3 aged at 1073 and 1173 K presented the best performance. This result was attributed to the higher reducibility of the support and to the larger metal dispersion presented by these materials. These properties favor the carbon removal mechanism from the metal surface, avoiding deactivation. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.