TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The alcogel support material is reacted with a cerium solution containing cerium compound and nanoparticulate second catalyst metal. Preferred Components: The ceria coating covers greater than or equal to 75% of surface area of the aerogel support material. The ceria is cerium (IV) oxide. The aerogel support material comprises alumina, zirconia, titania, and/or silica aerogel. The ceria-coated aerogel comprises active metal species selectively deposited and treated to form multi-metallic compound with ceria. The metal species is cobalt, ruthenium, iron, titanium, vanadium, chromium, zirconium, osmium, platinum, palladium, silver, nickel, molybdenum, and/or tungsten. The cerium compound is ceric ammonium sulfate, cerium nitrate, cerium chloride, cerium hydroxide, and/or preferably ceric ammonium nitrate. Preferred Composition: The ceria-coated aerogel has cerium loading of 10-40% or 30-45%.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The cerium compound may be cerium methoxyethanol, cerium isopropoxide, cerium acetylacetonate, cerium trifluoroacetyl acetonate, cerium hexafluoroacetyl acetonate, and/or cerium oxalate. Preferred Method: The alcogel support material is reacted with a silylation agent, e.g. hexamethyldisilazane, tetramethylsilane, trimethylchlorosilane, t-butyldimethylsilyl, and/or dimethylsilyldiethylamine, prior to deposition of cerium compound. EXAMPLE - Solution phase incorporation of ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) was accomplished by replacing solvents remaining from alcogel preparation and comprising ethanol, water and tetrahydrofuran (THF) in solid monolithic silica alcogel (11 ml) through a single equilibration with ethanol (35 ml) and 3 subsequent equilibrations with acetone (35 ml, each), and replacing external solvent by acetone solution of CAN. Subsequent equilibration led to an even distribution of cerium throughout the entire solution volume, within and outside of the alcogel. The CAN-laden alcogel was placed in an autoclave and filled with liquid carbon dioxide (CO2). The liquid CO2 and acetone were exchanged at lower than 28degreesC and 1400-2000 psig. Concurrent with the exchange between liquid CO2 and acetone, the autoclave was vented while being left open to CO2 source to eliminate acetone while maintaining an isobaric CO2 environment. After approximately 4-6 hours of exchanging and venting, the CO2 source and venting outlet were closed and the autoclave was heated beyond the CO2 critical temperature (31.1degreesC)-50degreesC. After 1-2 hours of static supercritical conditions, the autoclave was slowly and completely vented over 2-3 hours to yield opaque and slightly yellow CAN-laden aerogel. The aerogel retained high surface area at up to 650degreesC while pure ceria aerogel exhibited significant loss of surface area above 250degreesC. The surface area of ceria-silica composite aerogel was greater than 450 m2/g which was maintained at up to 650degreesC. The composite aerogel was free of surface area loss over the tested calcining temperature.