Flaky and nanospherical birnessite and birnessite-supported Pt catalysts were successfully prepared and characterized by means of Xray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and N2 adsorption-desorption. Effects of the birnessite morphology and Pt reduction method on the catalytic activity for the complete oxidation of formaldehyde (HCHO) were investigated. It was found that flaky birnessite exhibited higher catalytic activity than nanospherical birnessite. The promoting effect of Pt on the birnessite catalyst indicated that the reduction method of the Pt precursor greatly influenced the catalytic performance. Flaky birnessite-supported Pt nanoparticles reduced by KBH4 showed the highest catalytic activity and could completely oxidize HCHO into CO2 and H20 at 50 degreesC, whereas the sample reduced using H2-plasma showed lower activity for HCHO oxidation. The differences in catalytic activity of these materials were jointly attributed to the effects of pore structure, surface active sites exposed to HCHO and the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles.