We have synthesized for the first time ZnO/rGO hybrids from metal zinc and GO using hydrothermal technique without adding further reducing agent. The photocatalytic property of ZnO-rGO reveals that the hybrid for 50 mg of GO has the highest activity, causing a 94% degradation of methyl orange compared to 70% by only ZnO. The consistent quenching and a gradual decrease in the decay life time of the emission at similar to 500 nm as the rGO content increases indicates the interfacial charge transfer process between ZnO and rGO by the defect states responsible for green emission. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.