A facile spontaneous redox method is developed to obtain uniform palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) distributed on surfactant-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at room temperature. In this synthesis, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was self-assembled onto MWCNTs to provide adsorption sites for PdCl42- ions. Interestingly, PdCl42- was spontaneously reduced though a galvanic cell effect between PdCl42- and MWCNTs. The as-prepared Pd catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity toward oxidation of ethanol and glucose in an alkaline medium. Inspired by this, a glucose enzyme-free biosensor was developed with a wide linear range covering from 1 mM to 20 mM and a high sensitivity of 11 mu AmM-1 cm(-2) (to 1-10 mM) and 6.3 mu AmM-1 cm(-2) (to 11-20 mM). These results indicate that the as-synthesized Pd catalyst could be a great potential material for improving performance of direct ethanol fuel cells and glucose sensors. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.