Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a chemical compound of great interest used, for example, as photocatalyst in the purification of wastewater or polluted air. However, neither dissolution, nor photo-dissolution of ZnO is negligible: indeed, both processes reduce significantly the efficiency of photocatalysis and then lead to a secondary pollution by free Zn2+. In the present study, the stability of ZnMg0 thin films in weak alkaline solution is investigated. We demonstrate that the replacement of Zn2+ ion with Mg2+ ion results in the production of a Zn(0.84)Mga(1.6)O solid solution, whose stability is higher than that of the ZnO sample. This alloy, thus, constitutes an alternative to the use of ZnO in photocatalysis applications. To gain more insights into the higher resistance of such alloys to the dissolution process, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were performed. They highlighted the role of OH group adsorption in the experimentally observed enhancement of ZnMgO stability. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.