Textured zinc oxide thin films were synthesized by the sol-gel process using zinc acetate dihydrate, ethanol and monoethanolamine as precursor, solvent and stabilizer, respectively. The structural, morphological and luminescence properties of the thin films,have been investigated as a function of precursor concentration (0.25,0.50 and 0.75 mol center dot L-1) using X-ray diffraction, quantitative texture analysis, scanning electronic microscopy, atomic force microscopy and cathodoluminescence. The morphology of the films and their crystallographic orientation has been found to be strongly influenced by the precursor concentration. For the lowest concentration, the strongest <00.2> texture and the lowest roughness are obtained. At higher concentrations, secondary <50.2> and <10.3> textures are also observed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.