Following the development of a high-throughput (HT) methodology for the evaluation of diesel soot oxidation catalysts in a 16 parallel channels reactor, a library of over 60 catalysts was tested under optimized conditions. The catalyst compositions were chosen to include solids which specific properties like oxygen storage capacity, oxygen mobility and ionic conductivity. The key parameters for high activity appear related to the presence of active and mobile surface oxygen species, and to an appropriate catalyst particle size in order to favour the number of contacts with the soot. In contrast, high oxygen storage capacity and bulk oxygen ion mobility do not appear as relevant properties for high catalytic activity. Nine new formulations were found to perform better than the reference catalyst "high surface area (HSA) ceria" (Rhodia). (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.