Nano-crystalline CdTe and nano-structured CdS films in crystalline, porous and fiber forms were deposited on ITO-coated glass substrates. CdTe films exhibited a typical particle size of 10 rim and a blue shift in the absorption with ail effective band gap of 2.8 eV. CdS films exhibited a typical particle size of 15 nm and an effective band gap of 2.98 eV. Also, porous CdS and porous TiO2 films were deposited on plastic substrates by a self-assembly method. Typical pore sizes were 80 and 70 nm, respectively. These can be used in nano-structured solar cell configuration where the pores are filled with a suitable absorber material. Additionally, CdS fibers and nano-crystalline films of TiO2, on plastic substrates were fabricated. Typical particle size in TiO2 was 10 nm and Cds fibers were about 80 nm wide and 1.5 mum long. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.