Europium-doped Zr(OH)(4) nanoparticles are heated via furnace and pyroprobe. As observed in X-ray diffraction and optical fluorescence spectroscopy, both heating techniques lead to mixed tetragonal and monoclinic crystalline ZrO2 phases. Three hours of heating in the furnace leads to 45% tetragonal phase at 400 degrees C and only 14% at 700 degrees C. Rapid 10 s heating in the pyroprobe, however, leads up to 68% tetragonal phase for temperatures between 570 and 710 degrees C. Incomplete dehydroxylation of the precursor may lead to the stabilization of the tetragonal phase. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.