In this article, the electrochemical oxidation and the non-enzymatic voltammetric and amperometric detection of glucose using an Au (111)-like nanoparticle-ensemble electrode is described. Moreover, the electrochemical behavior of oxidation of glucose in alkaline media on the as-prepared electrode is discussed. The as-prepared electrode was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, cyclic voltammetry. The as-prepared electrode provided excellent electrochemical performance for kinetic-controlled non-enzymatic glucose oxidation reaction with a linear response range from 30 mu M to 45 mM, a low detection limit of 10 mu M (signal to noise ratio of 3) and a high sensitivity 67.2 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2) without the interference of 0.15 M chloride, which could be ascribed to the unique ratio of the different crystal planes exposed on the nanocrystal surface. In addition, the amperometric response of the sensor showed a linear relationship up to a glucose concentration of 11 mM with a high sensitivity of 23.0 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2). The Au (111)-like nanoparticle-ensemble electrode with high sensitivity, good stability and reproducibility as well as excellent biocompatibility made it promising for the development of enzyme-free sensors. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.