AbstractIn this work, the 1D titania nanorods (Tnr) were successfully prepared from commercial Degussa P25 powders (DP25) by alkaline hydrothermal method and applied to fabricate the composite TiO2 photoanodes for DSSCs. The morphology of the obtained 1D titania nanomaterials is controllable and is dependent on the post heat treatment. Anatase Tnr (a‐Tnr) with diameters of 50‐200 nm and lengths of several hundreds nanomaters was obtained after calcination at 600 °C. The BET surface area was 20 m2/g. For DSSCs study, the composite TiO2 pastes with a range of DP25/Tnr weight ratio were used for photoanodes. It was found that by adding the Tnr, the photoconversion efficiency (η) increases, yet, due to the lower surface area of a‐Tnr, the DSSC efficiency is deteriorated for higher Tnr content. The DSSC performance also largely depends on the thickness of composite TiO2 films. The best efficiency of ∼7.56% (Voc = 0.81V, Jsc = 14.9 mA/cm2, FF = 0.63) was achieved for the D80a20 sample (80% DP25, 20% Tnr) with film thickness of 20 μm. To realize the electron transport properties of composite film, the DSSCs were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicated that the electron transport efficiency is affected by the morphology and composition of the composite TiO2 electrodes.