Three dimensional (3D) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflowers have been successfully synthesized on oxidized silver clusters using a vapor transportation method on a 50 nm Ag layer. One dimensional (1D) ZnO nanorods can be fabricated on even the thinner Ag layers (2 nm and 10 nm). During the heating process, with a trace amount of oxygen present, the Ag layer ( 50 nm) melted and agglomerated forming silver oxide until the temperature reached the melting point of the zinc powder. Initially, the oxygen-rich phase ZnO formed and the zinc atoms diffused from the ZnO shell forming pistils and after an increase in time formed the zinc-rich ZnO nanoflowers. The ultraviolet (UV) emission (3.28 eV) from ZnO nanoflowers and nanorods revealed useful properties relating to the recombination of free excitons and the formation of zinc interstitials or zinc antisites as evidenced by the broad visible peak in the 50 nm Ag layer spectra. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.