The paper presents the results of theoretical and experimental researches of the analysis of nanopowder ZnO and ZnO-based structures formation mechanisms by means of pulse laser reactive technology (lambda = 1.06 mu m, tau = 10(-7) to 10(-5) s). The developed 2D model combines non-stationary heat transfer and fluid motion along with the calculated profile of surface deformation. The characteristics of the dispersive and chemical compositions and structural parameters of the synthesized nanopowder together with the influence of the energy of laser impulse evaporation, its duration and gas pressure in the reaction chamber have been studied using X-ray diffractrometry (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Particle size distribution analysis of ZnO has shown that the majority of them range from 5 to 60 nm in size. The photoluminescence emission spectra of the initial ZnO nanopowder at room temperature have been identified. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.