WE PROPOSE THE SYNTHESIS OF ?-TRIKETONATE COMPLEXES OF ZN(II) AND CU(II) AS PRECURSORS IN THE PHOTO-DEPOSITION OF ZNO FILMS LOADED WITH CUO, WHICH ARE SUBSEQUENTLY CALCINED AT 600 ?C. THE ZNO/CUO HETEROJUNCTION SYSTEM WAS ANALYZED BY XRD, SEM AND XPS; THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE LOW CRYSTALLINITY OF THE FILMS AND THE FORMATION OF ZNO AND CUO. THE RESULTS OF OPTICAL PROPERTIES CONFIRM A GRADUAL REDUCTION OF THE OPTICAL BANDGAP WHEN CUO LOADING IS INCREASED IN THE ZNO MATRIX AND THE PHOTOLUMINESCENCE TESTS FOUND A DECREASE IN THE EMISSION BANDS OF THE ZNO MATRIX WITH THE INSERTION OF CUO. THE MAXIMUM PHOTO-DEGRADATION EFFICIENCY IS ACHIEVED FOR ZNO FILMS LOADED WITH CUO AT 1 MOL%, OBTAINING 75.4 AND 68.3% FOR RHODAMINE B AND RHODAMINE 6G, RESPECTIVELY. WE PROPOSE THAT ZNO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FORMATION OF SUPEROXIDE RADICALS AS THE MAIN REACTIVE SPECIES IN THE DEGRADATION OF BOTH RHODAMINES.