Abstract The polymeric precursor method (Pechini) was employed to prepare high-quality nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) films. Briefly, the process started off with the preparation of a coating solution by the Pechini process followed by a coating of the glass substrates by a dip-coating technique and subsequent heat-treatment of the as-deposited films up to 550 °C for 30 min. The Rietveld profile analysis of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra revealed the wurzite structure as expected for ZnO with a P63mc symmetry. No additional peaks were observed that would correspond to any secondary crystalline phase. The average crystallites size was 20 nm as calculated by Sherrer’s equation. UV–vis spectroscopy showed sharp ultraviolet absorption edges at ∼380 nm. The absorption edge analysis yielded optical band gap energy of 3.24 eV with electronic transition of the direct transition type. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed asymmetric and symmetric stretching modes of the carboxyl group (CO). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed a crack-free surface morphology indicating that coating of the amorphous glass substrates was homogeneous on large surface areas. The temperature dependent conductivity featured a typical semiconducting-like behavior with resistivity approaching 3×10−1 Ω cm at 220 K.