Three different ZnO nanomaterials (nanobelts, nanorods, and nanowires) were synthesized at three different substrate temperatures from the thermal evaporation of ball-milled ZnO powders at 1380degreesC. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the ZnO nanobelts are single crystalline with the growth direction perpendicular to the (01(1) over bar 0) lattice planes, and that the ZnO nanorods and nanowires are single crystalline with the growth directions perpendicular to the (0 0 0 1) and (11(2) over bar 0) lattice planes, respectively. In cathodoluminescence, the peak energy of near band-edge emission was determined for the nanobelts, nanorods, and nanowires. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.