A ZnO-covered TiO2 (denoted as ZnO/TiO2) film was prepared by incorporating a small quantity of particulate ZnO in a TiO2 matrix by thermal chemical vapor deposition. When used in a dye-sensitized solar cell, an enhancement was observed in both short-circuit photocurrent (J(sc)) and open-circuit voltage (V-oc) by 12% and 17%, respectively, relative to those of a cell containing a bare TiO2 film. The observed J(sc) enhancement is attributed to the increase in the surface area of the ZnO/TiO2 film, and the V-oc enhancement to the formation of a potential barrier by ZnO at TiO2/electrolyte interface. The films were characterized by FE-SEM, EDX, and XRD. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.