Nanostructured manganese-stabilized cubic zirconia (MnSZ) powders, solid solutions of Zr1-xMnxO2-y x = 0, 0.03, 0.06 and 0.09, were obtained via the sol-gel method. The doped phases crystallized at 500 degrees C into black cubic nanocrystalline zirconia. The powder phases were characterized via X-ray powder diffraction, the system has an average crystallite size of 6 +/- 2.0 nm, which is in close agreement with the particle size determined via high-resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM). The optical absorption spectra of the MnSZ exhibits a broad absorption band over the entire visible region, which is attributed to the d-d transitions of the Mn3+ ions in the cubic zirconia lattice. The nanocrystalline c-MnSZ system was found to have the greatest thermal stability, retaining its cubic structure at 800 degrees C, at temperatures above 800 degrees C, a phase transition took place from the cubic to the tetragonal phase, and finally at 900 degrees C nanocrystalline MnSZ transforms to a total monoclinic phase. The color was evaluated using the CIELab colorimetric method. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the samples exhibit a weak emission band at the interface of the UV and visible regions, which can be explained by the ionized oxygen vacancy in the nanostructures. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.