SemiconductorSemiconductor nanostructures have significantly advanced water waste photolysis and hydrogen production through water decomposition. CeramicCeramics materials in thin layers are crucial for protection, gas sensing, and photovoltaics, with thin films exhibiting distinct physicochemical properties compared to bulk materials. The study of nanostructured materials’ physical properties is of great interest to both researchers and industries. This study investigates the influence of substrate type on the structural, morphological, optical, and photocatalytic properties of zirconium-dopedDoped zinc oxide thin layers. Samples were prepared on porous ceramicCeramics and glass substrates under identical conditions, including layer count and dopingDoping ratio. XRD analysis revealed a polycrystalline wurtzite structure in all samples, with grain sizes ranging from 25–43 nm for ceramicCeramics and 19–32 nm for glassZr-doped ZnO/glass substrates. UV–visible absorbance data showed that all Zr-dopedDoped ZnO Zr-doped ZnO/ceramicfilms absorb visible light around 410 nm, with a blue shift observed as zirconium content increased up to 5 wt%. The band gap widened to 2.93 eV for ceramicCeramics substrates. SEM analysis demonstrated that dopingDoping significantly affected ZnO sample morphology. Photocatalytic activities, assessed using orange IIOrange II degradation, showed that zirconium dopingDoping substantially improved performance for samples on ceramicCeramics substrates compared to those on glass. The photolysis mechanism was explored using hole/radical scavengers, revealing that Zr-ZnO networks enhance hydroxyl ion adsorption on the surface. This acts as a trap site, reducing hole/electron pair recombination and thus increasing activity and photodegradationPhotodegradation efficiency.