In the past, the working conditions of cataluminescence (CTL) method were simply determined by single factor experiment. This paper will illustrate the optimization of working conditions of a novel sulfur dioxide gas sensor based on Au/CoO-2La 2 WO 6 nanoparticles by response surface methodology (RSM). Under optimized working conditions, analytical wavelength 522.77 nm, reaction temperature 111.15°C and carrier gas velocity 144.92 ml/min, the sensitivity of the method can be increased by 6.4 %. The optimization process is universal for many multi parameter processes. There is a good linear relationship between the CTL intensity and the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the range of 0.06-120 mg/m 3 with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.015 mg/m 3. The sensing properties of sensitive material were investigated. The results indicated that nano-Au/CoO-2La 2 WO 6 could be a good candidate for fabricating sulfur dioxide gas sensors.