A polymerizable-complex method (PCM) was used with automated solution deposition to generate combinatorial libraries of oxide powders that were evaluated for their ability to catalyze the combustion of soot. Chemical compositions were examined for catalytic activity in the soot combustion reaction in parallel using infrared thermography and serially using automated thermogravimetric analysis. Although infrared analysis is much faster, it is not easily suited to analyzing soot combustion in the configuration employed in the present study. Instead, the slower automated thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was found to be much more reliable and reproducible. The results of characterizing simple oxide systems (Ce-K-O, Cu-K-O, Ce-Na-O and Cu-Na-O) are reported. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.