The sheet-like NiO nanostructures were prepared by a simple chemical precipitation method. The structure, morphology and composition of the product were investigated by XRD and SEM-EDAX analysis. The modified NiO ns/ GCE was successfully employed as a sensor for glucose in alkaline medium based on the catalytic activity of the NiII/ NiIII centre and the electrochemical properties of the prepared nanostructures were investigated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. The proposed sensor exhibited high catalytic activity towards glucose, high sensitivity with a linear range up to 1 m\l, fast response time < 5 s, low detection limit, very good selectivity to glucose and stability. © 2015 Scientific Publishers. All rights reserved.