Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were prepared by hydrothermal method on glass substrates with various buffer layers: Ag, Al, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO). The structure, morphology and wettability of the ZnO nanostructured surfaces were investigated by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle (WCA) analysis methods, respectively. All the nanostructures grown on glass with various buffer layers exhibited strong growth orientation along the (1 0 1) plane. The nature of the buffer layer was found to have remarkable effect on the morphology and wettability of the ZnO nanostructures. Whether the buffer layers were hydrophilic or low hydrophobic, all the ZnO nanostructures grown on the various buffer layers showed high hydrophobic property, and that grown on the AZO buffer layer even exhibited superhydrophobicity with a WCA of 151.1 degrees. This work may provide a scientific basis for self-cleaning ZnO-based optoelectronic device applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.