Nanoparticles of ZnO2 were synthesized by a sol-gel method using Zn(CH3COO)2 and H2O2 in an aqueous solution exposed to either ultraviolet (UV) or ultrasound irradiation. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy showed that the nanostructures consisted of spherical blackberry-like clusters. Nanoparticles fabricated by using UV irradiation had smaller sizes and narrower size distributions than nanoparticles prepared by using ultrasound. Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were used as test microorganisms, and the antibacterial activity of the ZnO2 nanoparticles was studied by use of the well diffusion agar bacteriological test. ZnO2 nanoparticles synthetized using UV had the best antibacterial properties. The inhibition zone was largest for B. subtilis but was present also for S. aureus and E. coli. © 2014 Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.