In this work, a simple and effective method for fabricating Sb2Se3 nano-rods films by magnetron sputtering Sb2Se3 alloy target at a substrate temperature of 375 degrees C is proposed. The thermally induced regular shape and vertically arrayed nano-rods exhibits a well-crystallized structure with a preferred crystallographic orientation of (221) and a stable valence of Sb3+ and Se (2-). The obtained thin film has a band-gap of 1.32 eV and a high absorption coefficient of 10(5) cm(-1) in visible region. The photo-electrochemical measurements show that the Sb2Se3 nano-rods are p-type semiconductors with an excellent photo-response. A photovoltaic solar cell using the Sb2Se3 nano-rods film as absorber has demonstrated and a clear photovoltaic effect with an encouraging power conversion efficiency of 2.11% can be achieved.