Oriented ZnO nanorod arrays were successfully prepared on transparent conductive substrates by seed-layer-free electrochemical deposition in solution of Zn(NO(3))(2) at a low temperature of 70 degrees C without using any catalysts, additives, and additional seed crystals. The effects of the Zn(NO(3))(2) concentration, deposition time and applied current on the localized nanorod arrays are investigated. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to characterize the structures and the morphologies of ZnO nanorod arrays. The heights and diameters of ZnO nanorods can be tuned by controlling the electrodeposition parameters. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.