The usage of zinc oxide (ZnO)-based nanostructures in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been well investigated yet still in keen exploration for further performance enhancement. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-modified ZnO nanorods were prepared via hydrothermal route followed by simple solution deposition. MWCNTs were self-anchored onto the ZnO nanorods and acted as a hole-attracting phase. The PEC performance of MWCNTs-modified ZnO nanorods, including photocurrent density and photo current conversion efficiency (PCE), was found to be significantly improved compared with unmodified ones. The maximum value of PCE (0.646%), which was 2.1 times higher than that of pristine ZnO nanorods, was achieved with a MWCNTs/ethanol suspension concentration of 0.002 wt%. The performance enhancement is attributed to increasing of light absorption from rougher surface and effective charge carrier transport from the excellent conductivity of the incorporated MWCNTs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.