Here we proposed a facile strategy to synthesize multi-layered gold nanoparticles/polyaniline/halloysite nanotubes (AuNPs/PANI/HNTs) nanostructures used for electrochemical sensors. The PANI/HNTs were firstly obtained by making use of the in situ polymerization as well as employing the thioglycollic acid (TA) as the dopant, thereafter, Au ions were anchored to TA and then reduced by PANI. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM.) observations implied that a large amount of uniform AuNPs were immobilized on the PANI/HNTs. The as-prepared AuNPs/PANI/HNTs nanostructures were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the results confirmed the successful synthesis of AuNPs/PANI/HNTs nanostructures and explained the reactions in depth as well. Further investigations suggested that the AuNPs/PANI/HNTs nanostructures with well-separated AuNPs exhibited high electrochemical performance as sensors to detect hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.