In this paper, a modified electrodeposition method, occlusion electrosynthesis (OE), was used to prepare ZnO porous films. The processes of OE were similar to those of electrodeposition except the addition of ZnO nanoparticles in electrolyte. The ZnO porous film prepared by OE (OE-ZnO) was highly porous with considerable thickness (55 mu m). The quantum dots-sensitized solar cell based on OE-ZnO porous film showed superior photoelectrochemical performance to that based on the ZnO porous film prepared by doctor-blade (DB) method at the suitable concentrations of ZnO nanoparticles in electrolyte, about 16-32g/L. In addition to the ZnO porous film constructed with ZnO nanoparticles, the ZnO porous film constructed with ZnO nanorods, ZnO/multi-walls carbon nanotubes and ZnO/TiO2 composite porous films have also been successfully synthesized by OE, which were expected to be widely applied in various fields. The low temperature (60 degrees C) processes without post treatment made OE more promising for preparing ZnO porous films than DB, especially the ZnO porous films for flexible devices. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.