In the present work, 0.29 wt% Pt/LaCoO3 nanorods with high N dispersion were prepared by using high surface area of electrospun LaCoO3 nanorods (31 m(2)/g) as the support, and the physicochemical properties are correlated with the propane oxidation activities. It is demonstrated that sequential thermal annealing in He, O-2, and H-2 can achieve well N dispersion and good interaction between metallic N and LaCoO3 nanorods. The latter leads to a good reducibility and high oxygen mobility, resulting in a rapid redox cycle of Co3+/Co2+. It mainly contributes to the good propane oxidation activity following the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism for N/LaCoO3-He + O-2 + H-2. Meanwhile, it exhibits good thermal stability and water resistant. Additionally, a unique "circulation" in situ FTIR technology was developed to detect the intermediate species for the weak interaction of propane with Pt/LaCoO3.