Catalytic combustion is an effective way to eliminate volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution, such as propane. However, it is still a significant challenge to develop effective catalysts. Herein, we report NbOx-doped Pt/Al2O3 catalysts synthesized by a facile impregnation method for effective propane oxidation. New types of acidic sites are generated on the surface of Pt/Al2O3 when NbOx is added, and the acidity is gradually improved. NbO, is beneficial for the formation of Pt species, which obviously improves the catalytic performance. Pt-10Nb/Al2O3 gives the highest propane conversion (86.6%) at 250 degrees C. Furthermore, the prereduced Pt-10Nb/Al2O3-R with more Pt content shows higher conversion (90.1%). The specific reaction rate of Pt-Nb/Al2O3 is related to the Pt /(Pt + Pt-2) ratio. Pt-10Nb/Al2O3-R with the Pt /(Pt+ Pt2+) value of 0.86 rather than Pt-15Nb/Al2O3 with a higher one gives the highest specific reaction rate of 76.1 pmol gpt(-1) which may be attributed to the synergistic roles of Pt and Pt2+ species.