Diesel engines provide superior fuel economy to gasoline engines, but their emissions contain harmful compounds that endanger human health and the environment. Because of this, government regulations have demanded increasingly cleaner exhaust from diesel engines. Diesel engines are now being fitted with additional "Exhaust aftertreatment units" which utilize catalysts in various components in the exhaust stream to eliminate the unsafe compounds.  One harmful diesel exhaust component that has proven difficult to eliminate is solid carbonaceous particulate matter. Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are currently required of all engines to remove the solid PM, also termed soot, from the exhaust. One means for reducing cost of the aftertreatment unit is to lower the required temperature for soot oxidation (DPF regeneration) by implementing a low cost, low temperature soot oxidation catalysts. Potassium based catalysts provide the low temperature oxidation of soot, but quickly degrade in the harsh conditions of the diesel exhaust. Novel K-glass catalysts have recently been shown to stabilize the K within a silicate matrix and initial degradation studies have shown promise with soot oxidation as low as 380&deg;C in loose catalyst-soot contact conditions.  To further the study of these K-glass catalysts, this dissertation will delve into the measurement and characterization of the prolonged degradation mechanisms experienced by the glasses that fall into two categories termed as follows: combustion (K loss) and chemical (hydrothermal) degradation. K-glass catalyst samples were used to measure end of useful lifetime (EUL) testing for an estimated 100,000 mi of engine use. A baseline glass compound (KCS-1) was found to sustain acceptable soot oxidation temperatures after this lifetime (T50 < 500&deg;C). Catalytic degradation was caused by the creation of K-rich carbonate or sulfate precipitates. These precipitates deplete the surrounding glass of active K and also mask active regions with inactive material such as CaCO3.  Through these revelations, various changes to the baseline glass were tested such as bilayer glasses and Ce and Zr substitutions for Ca. Both methods measured improved catalytic activity and improved chemical durability respectively.