Palygorskite is a kind of hydrated magnesium aluminium silicate clay mineral. A novel linear core-shell structured Ni-P coated micro-fiber palygorskite (MFP) was fabricated via an electroless (EL) plating process in an alkaline bath. The composition, morphology and structure of the as-prepared products were characterized by the techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). It was observed that the size and morphology of Ni-P coated MFPs were altered by depositing temperature and time. The as-prepared Ni-P coated MFPs showed good conductivity. To the best of our knowledge, the Ni-P coated MFPs have not been reported before. And this fabrication process might also apply in preparing other metal coated MFPs such as silver, copper and palladium. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.