A series of emission-tunable nanophosphors with nominal composition of Sr 0.96 Zn 2−x Si 2 O 7 :0.04Eu 2 , xMn 2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) were designed and synthesized by solgel technique for application in white-light-emitting diodes. The structural, morphological, and optical properties were investigated using comprehensive characterization methods, such as x-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results indicate that the calcination temperature has strong effect on the crystalinity and morphology. Moreover, the calcination temperature can change grain size and microstrain. SrZn 2 Si 2 O 7 :Eu 2 , Mn 2 phosphors show two emission bands excited by near ultraviolet light: blue (around 480 nm) and orange-yellow (around 595 nm) emissions. These emissions are photophysically originated from 4f 6 5d 1 2 D → 4f 7 8 S 7∕2 transition of Eu 2 sensitizer ions and 4 T 1 4 G → 6 A 1 6 S transition of Mn 2 activator ions, respectively. The phosphors can generate various lights with different color coordinates and relative color temperatures by properly tuning the relative ratio of the Eu 2 to Mn 2 ions through the principle of energy transfer. The energy transfer from Eu 2 to Mn 2 in SrZn 2 Si 2 O 7 host matrix was confirmed by several experimental results, such as the luminescence spectra, energy transfer efficiency, and decay curve of the phosphors. Furthermore, the mechanism of this phenomenon was demonstrated as resonant type via a dipole-quadrupole reaction and the critical distance between Eu 2 and Mn 2 ions was calculated at about 10.7 Å. Eventually, when the dopant content of Mn 2 is 0.09, the color coordinate of the phosphor (x 0.345, y 0.301) is close to the normal white light and can be considered as a suitable UV-converting phosphor for white light-emitting diodes.