ZnO nanorods were fabricated by electrodeposition from solution with and without thulium precursors and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence. In spite of the low incorporation of thulium into ZnO nanorods, both the morphology and the optical properties of the nanorods were affected by the presence of thulium. The light emitting diodes with ZnO nanorods with and without Tm have been demonstrated. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.