Carbon nanotubes-MoS2-carbon (CNTs-MoS2-carbon) was synthesized via a method of wet impregnation and calcination with the assistance of surface-active polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG400). Characterizations of TEM, Raman spectra, XRD, XPS, BET and TG-DSC revealed that CNTs were homogenously coated with ultra-thin layers of MoS2. It was demonstrated that the unique structure is attributed to the wetting and emulsification capacity of PEG400. The CNTs-MoS2-carbon was used as counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Analyses of electrochemistry indicate that the CEs modified by CNTs-MoS2-carbon have high activity and stability in the electro-reduction from I-3(-) to I- due to the low charge transfer resistance. DSSCs based on CNTs-MoS2-carbon CEs were demonstrated to have a power conversion efficiency of 7.23%, which is higher than Pt CEs (6.19%). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.