Platinum-niobium catalysts have been proposed as alternative catalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation. Catalysts prepared by a combined alcohol-sodium borohydride reduction method showed crystal sizes in the range of 3-4 nm, with large amounts of niobium oxide, as TPR results confirmed. Platinum decorated on a mixture of Nb2O5 (amorphous and crystalline)/Vulcan XC-72R carbon black was also prepared, with similar crystal sizes. XANES region analyses showed a certain electronic effect in the case of the coreduction of the two metals, in which a slight alloy fraction was detected. CO stripping results displayed a promising performance of the PtNb/C catalyst, with a small onset potential and a large current density for CO oxidation. Ethanol oxidation tests demonstrated a larger specific activity for the PtNb2O 5 (crystalline)/C compared to the other catalysts. Furthermore, a large efficiency for ethanol oxidation was obtained for this platinum-niobium catalyst. © 2011 ECS - The Electrochemical Society.