Micro scale zinc oxide-polyvinyl alcohol (ZnO-PVA) composite has been synthesized by ultrasound irradiation. The properties of the as-prepared ZnO-PVA composite material are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). A band gap of 3.25 eV is estimated from DRS measurements. The controlled crystal growth of zinc oxide has been studied by using the as-prepared micro scale ZnO-PVA composite as seeds for the crystal growth of ZnO. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.