Hybrid organic/inorganic solar cells based on pyridine-treated CdSe quantum dots and poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) nanofibers were fabricated. By tuning the ligands of CdSe dots and morphology modification of blend film through thermal annealing, the insulating and less stable pyridine ligands of CdSe QDs can be removed by gentle heating and modified morphology results in more efficient charge separation and transport properties, and this leads to an improved power conversion efficiency of 1.22%. These results demonstrate a promising approach to improve charge transport in the hybrid nanocrystal-polymer composite photovoltaic cells. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.