A novel nonenzymatic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensor was fabricated, based on nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)(2)) modified silicon nanowires (SiNWs) electrode. The Ni(OH)(2)/SiNWs electrode consisted of SiNWs as backbone prepared by a chemical etching process and a Ni(OH)(2) coating layer deposited by an electroless plating technique. The morphology of the Ni(OH)(2)/SiNWs electrode was characterized via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The analytical performances of the Ni(OH)(2)/SiNWs electrode for determination of H2O2 were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry. The prepared electrode exhibited an ultrahigh sensitivity of 3.31 mA mM(-1) cm(-2) with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 3.2 mu M. In addition, the electrode also exhibited superior stability, anti-interference and selectivity. These features demonstrated the Ni(OH)(2)/SiNWs electrode was suitable for detection of hydrogen peroxide. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.