The zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods/plates are obtained via hydrothermal method assisted by etched porous Al film on Si substrate. The products consist of nanorods with average diameter of 100 nm and nanoplates with thickness of 200-300 nm, which are uniformly distributed widely and grown perpendicularly to the substrate. The ZnO nanoplates with thickness of 150-300 nm were grown on Si substrate coated with a thin continuous Al film (without etching) in the same aqueous solution. The growth mechanism and room temperature photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO nanorods/plates and nanoplates were investigated. It is found that the introduction of the etched Al film plays a key role in the formation of ZnO nanorods/plates. The annealing process is favorable to enhance the UV PL emissions of the ZnO nanorods/plates. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.