Pure and Pd-doped In2O3 nanofibers are synthesized via a simple electrospinning method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Comparing with pure In2O3 nanofibers, Pd-doped In2O3 nanofibers exhibit much higher sensitivity to ethanol at 200 degrees C. The sensor fabricated from Pd-doped In2O3 nanofibers can detect ethanol down to 1 ppm (the corresponding sensitivity is 4) with good selectivity, and the response and recovery times are 1 and 10 s, respectively. The sensing mechanism and the effect of I'd doping are discussed. The results indicate that the Pd-doped In2O3 nanofibers can be used to fabricate high performance ethanol sensors. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.