The catalysts Pd/TiO 2 , Pd/CeO 2 , and Pd/CeO 2 -TiO 2 for CO oxidation at low temperature together with their corresponding supports TiO 2 , CeO 2 , and CeO 2 -TiO 2 prepared by sol-gel precipitation followed by supercritical fluid drying were characterized by means of N 2 adsorption, XRD, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) of CO adsorption and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) with H 2 and CO as reducing agents. The results showed that PdO is finely dispersed on the supports with high surface area. DRIFTS of CO adsorption further indicated that both Pd 2+ and Pd 0 species coexist in Pd/CeO 2 , while only Pd 0 is detected in Pd/TiO 2 and Pd/CeO 2 -TiO 2 . H 2 -TPR showed that no bulk CeO 2 exists in CeO 2 -TiO 2 and the reduction of CeO 2 -TiO 2 is more difficult than that of the surface oxygen in the individual CeO 2 probably due to the formation of CeO 2 -TiO 2 solid solution. PdO in Pd/TiO 2 can be fully reduced by H 2 at ambient temperature, whereas PdO in Pd/CeO 2 and Pd/CeO 2 -TiO 2 is reduced respectively at 162 and 80 • C, accompanied by the reduction of surface CeO 2 . CO-TPR showed that the reduction of PdO in PdO/TiO 2 is limited within the outermost layer at ambient temperature and the core PdO can only be reduced with a further increase of temperature. PdO/CeO 2 is also reduced both at ambient temperature and with the increase of temperature during the CO-TPR process, and the reduction temperature of CeO 2 decreased significantly in the presence of PdO, which may be due to the different degrees of interaction between PdO and CeO 2 . In contrast, a complete reduction of PdO in Pd/CeO 2 -TiO 2 by CO is observed at ambient temperature, accompanied by the partial reduction of CeO 2 , which may indicate that the special Pd-Ce-Ti interaction in Pd/CeO 2 -TiO 2 is favorable for the reduction of PdO and interfacial CeO 2 species. The water-gas shift (WGS) between CO and the hydroxyl groups in the catalysts is detected at a temperature higher than 210 • C on all of the Pd-supported catalysts as well as the individual CeO 2 and TiO 2 supports. 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.