ZnO nanopowders were prepared by oxidizing Zn vapor in the atmosphere of mixture gas of Ar and O2 at low pressure. Tetrapod nanowhiskers synthesized at a pressure of 1.6 kPa show pure ZnO feet and Zn phase in the core of the nanopowder. The ellipsoid ZnO nanoparticles were produced at the pressure of 10 kPa. The photodegradation rate of aniline and chemical oxygen demand removal demonstrate that the photocatalytic efficiency of Zn/ZnO nanowhiskers with UV irradiation is higher than that of ZnO nanoparticles.The tetrapod morphology and Zn phase inside nanowhiskers play key a role in photodegradation process.