ZnO thin films with three low-indexed crystal planes were prepared by pulsed laser deposition and investigated for photocatalytic activity. The results revealed that the ZnO showed anisotropic photocatalytic activity and the order of activity for methylene orange and dichlorophene decomposition was (0 0 1) < (1 0 0) < (1 1 0). The highest photocatalytic activity of the (1 1 0) crystal plane orientated sample was ascribed to the more upward surface band bending, higher surface free energy and larger surface conductance. These results implied that synthesizing the (1 1 0) facet exposed ZnO sample would be an effective approach for the obtainment of higher activity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.