In the work, ZnO nanorods (NRs) were combined with silicon (Si) nanostructures for solar cell application. The optical and photovoltaic properties of silicon nanostructures coated with ZnO NRs were measured and discussed. The fabrication processes were composed of metal-assisted chemical etching combined with hydrothermal synthesized ZnO NRs growth. In contrast to the ordinary silicon nanostructures, this new hierarchical structures can maximize the light absorption and significantly enhance the electrode contact and carrier transport ability. By these optimizations, nano-textured solar cells' performance was improved. The data obtained from this work are fundamental and has some reference value for future studies. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.