ZnO particles with multi-interfacial morphologies such as flower-like shape, prickly sphere and flocculence structure, were synthesized by hydrothermal process under atmospheric pressure at about 373 K by adjusting zinc contained salts and the dosage of NaOH. Kinetic investigations on the growth of the related multi-interfacial ZnO revealed that the process consisted of two first-order reactions, and the reaction rate constants of the nucleation (k(1)) were less than those of the crystal growth (k(2)). For several kinds of zinc salts, say Zn(NO(3))(2)center dot 6H(2)O, Zn(CH(3)COO)(2)center dot 2H(2)O, ZnSO(4)center dot 7H(2)O or ZnCl(2), the k(1) are 0.057, 0.054, 0.054 and 0.094 min(-1), respectively, and accordingly, the values of k(2) are 0.413, 0.357, 0.116 and 0.025 min(-1). The electronegativity of the anions and the basicity of the solutions are the key factors which govern the process of the crystallization and sequentially the morphology of the particles. The possible mechanism for the growth of the multi-interfacial morphologies is proposed that the positive surfaces ((0 0 0 1) and/or (0 0 0 (1) over bar) planes) are inclined to enrich negative ions, leading to restraining the essentially dominant growth along c-axis and sequentially the morphology. (C) 2010 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.