Inorganic-polymer hybrid nanofibres were prepared by using a rod-like tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) as a template. With tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor, long silica-coated TMV fibres were formed via a head-to-tail assembly, which showed a substantial increase of the elastic modulus. Furthermore, homogenous titania-TMV hybrid fibres could be prepared using polyaniline-coated TMV fibres as a template, which were used to form a composite film that was able to sense liquefied petroleum gases.