The synthesis of functional low-dimensional metal oxides for gas sensing has been attracting widespread research interest in the last few years. Here we review the results obtained employing the aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition method, which is a flexible, inexpensive and high-yield technique for growing both polycrystalline or single-crystalline metal oxides with remarkable gas sensing properties. We show how this technique is suitable for growing metal-decorated low-dimensional nanostructures directly on alumina or silicon-based transducers, which helps in bridging the gap currently existing between nanotechnology-based gas sensors and mass-market applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.