A heterojunction consisted of [6,6]-phenyl-C-61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was employed as hole transporter and light absorber assistant, a microporous platinum/fullerenes (Pt/C-60) counter electrode was prepared by using a facile thermal decomposition method, and a polydimethyldiallyl ammonium-cadmium telluride [(PDDA)-CdTe] quantum dots photoanode was prepared by using chemical bath deposition method. Based on above components, a CdTe quantum dot-sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) was fabricated. The QDSSC shows a light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 3.40% under a simulated solar light irradiation with an intensity of 100 mW cm(-2). The electrochemical and photovoltaic measurements indicate that microporous Pt/C-60 film is better than Pt film as counter electrode material for the QDSSCs, and PCBM/P3HT is better than iodide/triiodide and sulfide/polysulfide as transferring medium for QDSSCs. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.