The present work has been undertaken to tailor Pt/Al2O3 catalysts active for NO oxidation even after severe heat treatments in air. For this purpose, the addition of Pd has been attempted, which is less active for this reaction but can effectively suppress thermal sintering of the active metal Pt. Various Pd-modified Pt/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared, subjected to heat treatments in air at 800 and 830 degrees C, and then applied for NO oxidation at 300 degrees C. The total NO oxidation activity was shown to be significantly enhanced by the addition of Pd, depending on the amount of Pd added. The Pd-modified catalysts are active even after the severe heat treatment at 830 degrees C for a long time of 60 h. The optimized Pd-modified Pt/Al2O3 catalyst can show a maximum activity limited by chemical equilibrium under the conditions used. The bulk structures of supported noble metal particles were examined by XRD and their surface properties by COx chemisorption and EDX-TEM. From these characterization results as well as the reaction ones, the size of individual metal particles, the chemical composition of their surfaces, and the overall TOF value were determined for discussing possible reasons for the improvement of the thermal stability and the enhanced catalytic activity of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts by the Pd addition. The Pd-modified Pt/Al2O3 catalysts should be a promising one for NO oxidation of practical interest. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.