The paper presents the properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited on glass substrate via dip-coating technique. Zinc acetate dehydrate, ethanol and monoethanol amine were used as starting materials and N 2 gas was used as thermal annealing atmosphere for film crystallization. The effect of withdrawal speed on the crystalline structure, morphology, zinc and nitrogen chemical states, optical, electrical and gas-sensing properties of the thin films has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, optical transmittance and photoreduction–ozone reoxidation data.