ZnO quantum dots were synthesized successfully via a simple sol-gel method. The average size of quantum dots can be tailored using well-controlled concentration of zinc precursor. Size-dependent blue shifts of photoluminescence and absorption spectra revealed the quantum confinement effect. The band gap enlargement is in agreement with the theoretical calculation based on the effective mass model. Furthermore, as the particle size decreases, we observed an increase in the size-dependent Stokes shift of the photoluminescence peak relative to the absorption onset. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.