Abstract: To explore the catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles in this paper is demostrated. With sodium borohydride as the hydrogen donor, the catalytic reaction based on the reduction of p-nitrophenol by synthesized AuNFs or AuNPs was carried out at the different temperature. The results show that the reaction temperature was negatively correlated with the time. At 50℃, the reaction time of AuNFs was 7 min; at 37℃, AuNFs was 15 min; at 20℃, AuNFs was 45 min. The reaction was first order kinetics. And the E_a value of AuNFs was 37. 97 kJ/mol, smaller than AuNPs' 51. 51 kJ/mol. The catalytic activity of AuNFs is stronger than that of AuNPs.