In this present work an attempt has been made to deposit the porous structured Co3O4 films using nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. The structural, optical and vibrational properties of the as deposited films were characterized through various analytical tools like XRD, SEM, photoluminescence and Raman. The parameters such as crystallite size, stacking fault probability, dislocation density and lattice parameter values were deduced from XRD patterns. The film with better porosity observed for Co3O4 film was obtained at higher deposition temperature (T-sub = 673 K). Cyclic voltammograms of obtained FTO/porous Co3O4 films show high current response during the addition of glucose indicating more suitability for biosensor applications. The photocatalytic measurements of Co3O4 films over glass were evaluated for different organic dyes such as Rhodamine B, Methlyene blue and Methyl orange under visible light. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.