A series of terbium doped TiO2 (TiO2:Tb3+) nanophosphors (NPr) were synthesized by the solution combustion method with varying the concentration of Tb3+. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed that the polycrystalline tetragonal structure of TiO2 NPr was formed. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements confirmed the presence of oxygen and TO3+ defects. The blue emission from the TiO2:Tb3+ NPr was tuned when the concentration of Tb3+ was varied. These TiO2:Tb3+ NPr have potential applications as sources of blue light in light emitting devices. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.