We have investigated the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles/TiO2 nanotubes-Ag nanoparticles (TiO(2)NPs/NTs-Ag@TiO2 NPs) composites on the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSC showed the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.04% with TiO2 NPs film only and 8.78% with TiO2 NPs/NTs due to the improvement of electron transport through nanotubes. More interestingly, compared to the device with TiO2 NPs film only, the TiO2 NPs/NTs-Ag@TiO2 NPs composites led to dramatic increases in J(sc) from 12.46 to 16.46 mA/cm(2) (i.e., 32% increase) and PCE from 8.04 to 10.60% (i.e., 32% increase), attributed to a synergetic effect of fast electron conduction through TiO2 NTs and plasmonic enhancement of Ag NPs. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.