Nanorod arrays of zinc oxide-zinc stannate core-shell photoelectrodes were prepared by a simple hydrothermal process and cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dot sensitized solar cells were fabricated. The photocurrent density of the core-shell photoelectrode was found to improve by 2.4 times compared to ZnO nanorod photoelectrodes, due to improved surface area and charge transport in the core-shell photoelectrodes. With a thin layer of ZnS on the CdS quantum dot surface, the core-shell quantum dot sensitized solar cell demonstrated maximum power conversion efficiency of 1.24% under 1 sun illumination (AM1.5). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.