Well-defined Au nanoflowers (NFs) have been prepared on carbon fiber cloth (CFC) through a rapid, templateless, surfactantless, electrochemical route. The electrode (Au NFs/CFC) is characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and X-ray diffractometry. Ethanol elelctrooxidation on the flower-like Au electrode is studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The effects of applied potential, deposition time, and solution concentration on the morphology of the Au deposits are also discussed in our work. The Au NFs/CFC electrode exhibits much higher catalytic activity and remarkably improved utilization of Au than Au nanoparticles prepared by electrodeposition for ethanol electrooxidation owing to its unique open hierarchical structure. The size-and morphology-controlled Au nanostructures can be a promising candidate as the high performance anode for the application in fuel cells. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.