The one-dimensional (1D) Zn(1-x)Ni(x)O (x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10) nanorods have been synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. New bands show at similar to 130 cm(-1) in the Raman spectra of Ni-doped ZnO nanorods and their relative intensity depends on the doping concentration of nickel. The optical band gap of the ZnO nanorods have been tuned by Ni-doping, which is revealed by absorption spectra. The photocatalytic activity of Zn(1-x)Ni(x)O was studied by comparing the degradation rate of rhodamine B (RB) under UV-light irradiation. It was found that Zn(0.95)Ni(0.05)O exhibited the highest photocatalytic degradation efficiency among the samples. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.