High density aligned ZnO nanotube (NT) arrays were synthesized using a facile chemical etching of electrochemically deposited ZnO nanorods (NRs). The influence of etching time and solution concentration on the ZnO NT formation was investigated. Moreover, cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanoparticles as sensitizers were assembled onto the ZnO NT and NR arrays for solar cell application. A conversion efficiency (eta) of 0.94% was achieved for CdSe/ZnO NT-based solar cell under the white light illumination intensity of 85 mW/cm(2). An 8% enhancement in eta was observed between the CdSe/ZnO NT-based and NR-based solar cell due to the enhancement of the photocurrent density. ZnO NT arrays have been proved to have a superior ability as compared with ZnO NR arrays when employed as a semiconductor film. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.