The hydrogenated ZnO nanorod array (NRA) was, for the first time, applied to the field of quantum dots (QDs) sensitized photoanodes. Hydrogen treatment at high temperature can significantly change the surface states of ZnO NRA. Partial oxygen atoms on the surface of ZnO are taken away by hydrogen, resulting in the formation of oxygen vacancies. The formation of oxygen vacancies significantly enhances the charge carrier density and the electron migration ability of ZnO NRA. Meanwhile, the energy barrier of the injection of the photoinduced electrons generated by CdS into ZnO NRA decreases due to the formation of doping energy levels under the conducting band of ZnO. Therefore, the photoelectrochemical performance of CdS QDs sensitized hydrogenated ZnO NRA is significantly improved. This work has potential significance in enhancing the performance of QDs sensitized solar cell as well as dye sensitized solar cell. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.