In present study, induced strain and stress effect of mesoporous structure on the thermoelectric properties of ZnO thin films were systematically investigated. In this work, mesoporous ZnO thin films were synthesized by evaporation-induced self-assembly and sol-gel process. As the pore structure is formed, the grain growth of ZnO is inhibited and lattice distortion is induced. In this paper, strain/stress induction according to surfactant (Brij-S10) concentration was analyzed through Williamson-Hall analysis. And the relationship between strain induction and thermoelectric properties was studied. 0.07 M ratio of Brij-S10 to Zn induces the enhanced thermoelectric properties as compared with pristine ZnO thin films. Hence, the induced strain and stress could play an important role in enhancing the thermoelectric properties of mesoporous ZnO thin films. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.