In this report, we have presented a novel CuO nanoleaf/ZnO nanorods (NRs) hierarchical architecture for non-enzymatic glucose sensor applications. The XRD pattern revealed the presence of monoclinic phase for CuO nanoleaf and hexagonal phase for ZnO NRs. FE-SEM images showed the ZnO NR arrays are densely covered on the leaf-shaped CuO nanostructure. The amperometric response indicated that the Cu/CuO/ZnO hybrid electrode has a good response for glucose with a linear range from 0.1 mM to 1 mM with a sensitivity of 408 mu A mM(-1) cm(-2) and a low detection limit of 18 mu M. The CuO nanoleaf/ZnO NRs structure exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity towards glucose oxidation. The greatly enhanced electrochemical catalytic reactivity is mainly attributed to the lower over-potential and larger electroactive surface area of the CuO nanoleaf structure and the one-dimensional ZnO NRs structures. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.