This paper summarized the work in nanometric scale luminescent materials Y

2

SiO

5

:Eu and Ln

2

O

3

:Eu(Ln=Y

Gd)prepared by sol gel process and combustion synthesis respectively

including the excitation spectra

emission spectra

lifetime

concentration quenching and the dependence of them on the grain size.It is found that quenching concentration in nanocrystalline Y

2

SiO

5

:Eu and Ln

2

O

3

:Eu is higher than that in normal materials.This is ascribed to the influence of a confinement effect on resonant energy transfer in nanosized particles.These properties show that nanocrystalline luminescent materials has important potential applications. Site selectively excited luminescence and energy transfer of X

1

-Y

2

SiO

5

:Eu at nanometric scale were mentioned too.There were four different luminescent centers in nanosized X

1

-Y

2

SiO

5

:Eu.Two of them belong to Eu

3+

embedded in nanosized X

1

-Y

2

SiO

5

:Eu

the other two attributed to trace of Y

2

O

3

:Eu and to a particular site on the surface.A pronounced excitation energy transfer between the two sites of nanosized X

1

-Y

2

SiO

5

:Eu was observed and discussed.