Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline long persistent SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphor via a modified combustion process has been presented in this paper. In this synthesis process, a mixture of respective metal nitrates, flux and combustible agent (urea/camphor) were thermally treated with slight modification at 400-600 degreesC for about 5 min. It resulted in low-density voluminous mass as compared to a sintered material by conventional solid-state method. The present work reports the changes made in the combustion process to achieve the homogenous incorporation of dopants and large-scale production of the nanophosphor in a short interval of time. The samples have been characterized for nanophase, structural and luminescent properties. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.