Preparation and photoelectrochemical properties of TiO2 hollow spheres embedded TiO2/CdS photoanodes for quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells

► TiO2 hollow spheres (THS) were embedded in TiO2 film as light scattering centers. ► THS embedding facilitates the penetration of CdS nanocrystals in TiO2 film. ► High content THS in TiO2 film facilitates the formation of large CdS nanocrystals. ► TiO2/CdS with THS were used as photoanodes for CdS sensitized solar cells. ► TiO2/CdS photoanodes with 10% THS shows the optimal photoelectrochemical properties.