This paper describes a simple method for patterned growth of ZnO nanoarrays (NAs) that is based on a combination of the microcontact printing process for patterning ZnO seed films and the low-temperature hydrothermal approach for depositing ZnO NAs. The patterned ZnO seed films were achieved via printing patterned TiO2 sol on ZnO seed films. It is found that the pattern quality is mainly affected by the viscosity of TiO2 ink and the pressure including value and direction. To assess the possibility of patterned ZnO NAs applied to devices, the patterned ZnO NAs were used as light scattering layer in CdSe-sensitized solar cells. The diffuse-reflection, absorption and transmission spectra show that the patterned ZnO NAs greatly enhance the light scattering and absorbance in the visible range. The enhancement of cell performance is attributed to the patterned ZnO NAs: 1) multiple-light scattering improves the light absorbance, and 2) NAs with high electron mobility facilitate the electron collection. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.