A hybrid structure based on p-type polypyrolle (PPy) and n-type aluminum (Al) doped ZnO nanorods was successfully constructed. The effect of Al doping on material properties of wurtzite structured ZnO were studied using several analytical techniques. To establish the desired hybrid structure, pyrrole monomers were polymerized on hydrothermally grown Al doped ZnO nanorods by chemical polymerization. The current-voltage characteristics on the fabricated PPy/A1 doped ZnO heterostructures were found to exhibit excellent rectifying characteristics under dark and illumination conditions. The obtained results augment the prescribed architecture to be highly suitable for high-sensitivity optoelectronic applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.