Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube arrays (TNAs) decorated with antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) particles were successfully fabricated through a simple and efficient electrodeposition strategy, which exhibited excellent catalytic performance for the reduction of p-nitrophenol. The electrodeposition mechanism was investigated by electrochemical methods. The microstructure, chemical composition and morphologies of the Sb2Se3/TNAs prepared at different deposition potentials were systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The formation of Sb2Se3 was confirmed to follow a co-deposition mechanism. It was found that Sb2Se3/TNAs with homogeneous morphology could be obtained at 0.7 V, which exhibited the highest catalytic performance for the reduction of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. The conversion rate of p-nitrophenol reached as high as 93.5% within 80 min. Such good catalytic performance could be attributed to the large surface area of TNAs that facilitate electrodeposition of Sb2Se3 and hence improve its catalytic performance. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.