Vertically aligned zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods were synthesized successfully on p-type GaN, c-lattice Al2O3, ITO glass, and quartz single crystal substrates using the microwave-assisted chemical bath deposition method. All substrates were seeded with a PVA-Zn(OH)(2) nanocomposites layer prior to nanorods growth. The effect of substrate type on the vertically alignment and morphology of the zinc oxide nanorods was studied. The diameter of the grown ZnO nanorods ranged from 30 to 170 nm. Their structural quality and morphology were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed hexagonal wurtzite structures perpendicular to the substrate along the z-axis in the direction of (002) plane. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of the grown ZnO nanorods on all substrates exhibited high UV peak intensity compared to broad visible peak. Raman scattering studies were conducted to estimate the lattice vibration modes. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.