In this study, rod shaped TiO2 nanocrystals with excellent crystallinity were obtained by a simple solvothermal approach utilizing isopropyl alcohol without the use of any surfactants or capping agents. The solvothermal process parameters such as the concentration of titanium(IV) isopropoxide and volume of acetic acid were varied to reach optimal synthesis conditions to prepare well-defined and monodispersed TiO2 nanorods. The growth of rod shaped TiO2 nanocrystals has also been investigated by varying the solvothermal reaction durations and temperatures. TiO2 nanorods with various film thicknesses were used as photoanodes to fabricate dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A power conversion efficiency of 9.21% has been achieved for the DSSC fabricated using a TiO2 nanorod photoanode film with 14 mu m thickness. The high photovoltaic performance was attributed to the effective electron transfer of photogenerated electrons in TiO2 nanorod films with enhanced dye adsorption which was favored for efficient light harvesting ability. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.