An electrochemical method for the detection of dopamine based on a glass carbon electrode modified with electrospun CeO2/Au composite nanofibers was investigated in this article. The CeO2/Au composite nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning technique and then annealed in air. The CeO2/Au composite nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed that the electrospun CeO2/Au composite nanofibers modified carbon glass electrode exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic response to the dopamine (DA). The detection limit (SIN = 3) was as low as 0.056 mu M and the sensitivity could reach 127 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2). All these demonstrated that the electrospun CeO2/Au composite nanofibers were good electrocatalyst for the oxidation of dopamine. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.