Nanocomposites of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and ZnO have been synthesized using the solution casting technique for different concentrations of nano ZnO powder prepared by low temperature solution combustion method. The formation of polymer nanocomposite and changes in the structural and micro structural properties of the materials were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy and optical microscopy techniques (FTIR and UV-Visible). The surface morphology of PVA-ZnO nanocomposite films were elucidated using Scanning Electron Microscopy. The optical absorption spectrum of nano ZnO shows blue shift in the optical band gap energy with respect to characteristic bulk ZnO at room temperature, whereas PVA-ZnO hybrid films show red shift with respect to nano ZnO. The photoluminescence studies show that the intensity of the blue emission (470 nm) varies with change in concentration of ZnO with an optimum intensity observed at 10 mol% of ZnO. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.