Optical, electrical and structural properties of ZnO grown via grown via PLD and VPT were examined. Both growth techniques were successful in producing nanostructured ZnO with thin films also produced with PLD. An epitaxial relationship to the substrate was found for all materials. A temperature-stepping growth process was identified as beneficial to overall material quality. Good quality nominally un-doped material with sharp near band edge (NBE) emission was achieved, demonstrating a FWHM of 1.9meV, compared to 0.7meV for single crystal samples. VPT and PLD nano-strucutres displayed a characteristic PL features due to the surface exciton, SX. Doped ZnO demonstrated p-type conductivity, with carrier concentrations as high as 4.10*16 cm−3 under illumination for N-ZnO. P-ZnO displayed a fast-decaying photoconductive effect. High concentrations of dopant were found disadvantageous to crystalline and optical quality, but evidence of ABX emission was observed with as much as 2.5 wt% of dopant. Li and Bi were also employed as dopant sources but neither produced evidence of a p-type film.