Quantum dot (QD)-sensitized mesoporous (MS) spherical TiO2 paste on fluorine-doped tin oxide was sintered via cyclic calcination (CC), a process of repeating sintering and cooling. This enabled simplification of the sensitization process and yielded uniform, high-quality photoanodes. The CdS and CdSe QD-sensitized MS TiO2 cells prepared by the proposed CC process showed short-circuit photocurrents (J(sc)) of 1.3 and 1.5 mA cm(-2), respectively. These Jsc values are several times higher than the values reported for other QD/TiO2 hybrid systems. We believe that this chemical and structural methodology will accelerate the commercialization of quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.