. ZnOHF submicron rods with the rhombus-like shape were successfully prepared by a low-temperature aqueous electrodeposition route. By further adjusting the experimental parameters including the electrolyte concentration, temperature, the electrodeposition potential, and the duration, the morphologies of ZnOHF films can further be controlled; accordingly, ZnO films with different morphologies were also obtained by calcining ZnOHF intermediate at 400 degrees C for 2 h. Based on the experimental results, a plausible mechanism for the conversion from ZnOHF to ZnO crystals was proposed. The surface morphology and microstructure of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the optical property of the samples was investigated by room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well. The PL spectra confirmed that ZnOHF and ZnO exhibited emission band centered at 413 nm and 382 nm in UV region, respectively. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.