Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary scientific field widely explored. Nanomaterials have physical, chemical and optical properties that are not present in macrometric scale. Zinc oxide (ZnO) has attracted many researches due to its unique properties and versatile applications in piezoelectrical devices, solar cells, chemical sensors, bactericidal systems and photocatalytic processes. These properties may be enhanced if the ZnO is in nanometric scale. The chemical and microstructural properties of the ZnO depend directly on the synthesis method and parameters. In this context, this work aims to obtain nanostructured ZnO by different synthesis methods and evaluate the resulting properties. We obtained nanostructured ZnO through combustion in solution synthesis (CSS) and microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment (MaHT). The powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Branauer-Emmett-Teller method, X-ray diffraction, crystallite size and thermal gravimetric analysis. It was possible to obtain nanostructured ZnO with both synthesis methods.