Seed free and low temperature growth of ZnO nanowires in mesoporous TiO2 film for dye-sensitized solar cells with enhanced photovoltaic performance

► ZnO nanowires are grown in TiO2 film via a seed free and low temperature process. ► The hybrid film based DSCs exhibit significantly enhanced photovoltaic performance. ► The electron transport and recombination properties are studied by using EIS. ► The effects of ZnO nanowires in the hybrid film are highlighted.