Abstract. Tungsten oxide nanoneedles (NNs) functionalised with gold nanoparticles (NPs) have been integrated with alumina gas-sensor platforms using a simple and effective co-deposition method via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) utilising a novel gold precursor, (NH₄)AuCl₄. The gas-sensing results show that gold NP functionalisation of tungsten oxide NNs improves the sensitivity of response to ethanol, with sensitivity increasing and response time decreasing with increasing amount of gold.