A series of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+, Er3+ (YAG:Ce, Er) nano-particles were synthesized by polymer-assisted sol gel method. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that a pure crystalline phase of YAG is achieved at temperature as low as 800 degrees C. The energy transfer from Ce3+ to Er3+ is studied based on photoluminescence spectroscopy and fluorescence decay patterns. It results that the emission intensity of Er3+ at near infrared (NIR) 1532 nm under indirect excitation of Ce3+ (460 nm) is 10 times stronger than that of direct excitation of Er3+ (275 or 380 nm). The energy transfer efficiency is estimated as 95.5% for YAG:Ce0.03Er0.09 sample. The very efficient energy transfer path and mechanism are also discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.