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ZrO2nanoparticles were obtained by the thermal decomposition of un-irradiated and γ-irradiated zirconium acetylacetonate (ZrAcAc) precursors. Several influencing factors, including absorbed dose, calcination times, calcination temperatures and addition of surfactants, were thoroughly investigated. The results showed that the best conditions for the preparation of ZrO2nanoparticles were achieved by calcinations of ZrAcAc for 5 h at 600°C in the presence of 1 mL of benzyl alcohol as the surfactant. Different phases, morphologies and sizes for the as-prepared ZrO2nanoparticles were obtained by varying the dose of γ-ray absorbed. ZrO2nanoparticles obtained by thermal decomposition of un-irradiated ZrAcAc have mixture of monoclinic and tetragonal crystal systems, the particles are monodispersed with an irregular shape. In the case of γ-irradiated ZrAcAc with 10, 102and 103 KGy, ZrO2nanoparticles have only a tetragonal system with different morphologies depending on the γ-ray dose absorbed. Thermal stability of ZrO2nanoparticles was studied using thermogravimetric/differential thermal analyzer techniques. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were evaluated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]