Oxide semiconductor coatings have been studied for the development of their nanostructures that can be tailored for multifunctional surface properties. We employed solution processing methods such as chemical bath deposition and hydrothermal process to deposit TiO 2 and ZnO thin film nanostructures on various substrates including transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), polymers (polycarbonate, Teflon), and metals (stainless steels, Ti). In particular, low dimensional nanostructures (1D, 2D) were tailored by different solution process conditions. Especially, the 1D TiO 2 nanorod structure were shown to grow via a non-classical crystallization way. The performances of vertically aligned TiO 2 (rutile) nanorod thin films were evaluated for its use as a photoanode in dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and as a photocatalytic surface for organic dye degradation. In addition, densely packed 2-dimensional rutile nanoblade structure was examined for a high-k dielectric layer. And the vertically aligned ZnO nanorod thin films were grown as photocatalytic coatings and antimicrobial surfaces. The latter aspect resulted from the strong photocatalytic behavior, as well as the nanoshape effects. To control the nano-and microstructures of TiO 2 and ZnO through process parameters, we used the degree of ‘supersaturation’that was calculated from aqueous thermodynamics. When the thermodynamics data were not available, it was obtained through experimental measurements. In an effort to maximize the photo-responsive capacity, the hybrid structures consisting of TiO 2/ZnO and ZnO/P3HT [Poly (3-hexylthiophene-2, 5-diyl)] were investigated for further enhancement of the photoanode properties and photocurrent generation, respectively. This work shows that highly multifunctional oxide surface properties can be made possible through the developments of low-temperature, solution-grown nanostructures with precise process controls.