Glucose detection is of great importance in the fields of biological, environmental, and clinical analyses. In this study, CuO/graphene nanocomposites have been synthesized for nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose biosensors to avoid the disadvantages of enzymatic sensors. Transmission electron microscopy images show that the spherical and size-selected CuO nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of graphene. For the amperometric glucose detection, the low detection limit of 1 mu mol L-1 with wide linear range from 1 mu mol L-1 to 8 mmol L-1 can be obtained using the CuO/graphene (CuOG)-modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode with a low loading. Under the applied potential of +0.60 V vs. Ag/AgCl, the optimal CuOG-modified GC electrode exhibits a sensitivity of 1065 mu A mmol(-1) Lcm(-2). With such good analytical performance from simple process, it is believed that CuO/graphene nanocomposites are promising for the development of cost-effective nonenzymatic electrochemical glucose biosensors. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.