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Abstract: An effective ZnO compact film (ZCF) has been introduced at the interface of fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate and mesoporous TiO2 layer, and its effect on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been compared to that of conventional TiO2 compact film (TCF). The ZCF and TCF prepared by spin-coating method on FTO are characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–vis spectrophotometer. The existence of TiO2 can suppress the recombination occurring at the interface of FTO/electrolyte, resulting in a higher J sc and V oc than bare FTO. The ZCF creates an energy barrier between FTO substrate and mesoporous TiO2 layer, which not only reduces the electron back transfer from FTO to I3 − in the electrolyte, but also leads to the accumulation of photogenerated electrons, and increases the electron density in the conduction band of TiO2. The device based on FTO/ZCF substrate remarkably improves V oc and FF, finally increases energy conversion efficiency by 13.1% compared to the device based on bare FTO and 4.7% compared to the counterpart based on FTO/TCF. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]