© 2016 Elsevier B.V. TiO 2 blocking layers were deposited on commercial fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glasses by cathodic vacuum arc technique for using as working electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). These blocking layers were produced between FTO and mesoporous TiO 2 layers to prevent electron-hole recombination. Photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs with and without TiO 2 blocking layer by different pulses was investigated. In this research, the film thicknesses with 500–2500 deposition pulses were 47–212 nm. The transmittance was in the range of 60–90% over the visible range with the absorption edge of 356 nm wavelength. The optical energy gaps were determined to be in the range of 3.23–3.34 eV. The deposition of TiO 2 blocking layer by 1000–2500 pulses was improved the photovoltaic performance. For the 2500 deposition pulses, the DSSC showed the highest energy conversion efficiency of 2.33% or 395% of that without blocking layer. Abstract code: BP22.