Pristine
and Eu3+-doped BaZrO3 were synthesized via a
solid-state reaction method, and the synthesized samples were systematically
characterized. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of single
and pure phases of cubic-structured BaZrO3. Extended X-ray
absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy revealed the site occupancy
of Eu3+ and coordination environment around the different
atomic sites. Photoluminescence (PL) excitation and emission spectra
revealed the dominant absorption at 275 nm and a broad emission centered
at 400 nm due to oxygen vacancies below the conduction band (CB).
The PL emission intensity at 597 nm increased with increasing Eu3+ doping concentration; simultaneously, emission from the
defect level decreased. This confirmed the efficient energy transfer
from oxygen vacancies to Eu3+. Density functional theory
was employed to calculate the density of states (DOS) to explain the
mechanisms of the PL phenomenon. DOS also showed the presence of impurity
states due to Eu3+ doping within the band-gap region. The
coincidence of the oxygen vacancy state with Eu f state at the bottom
of the CB confirmed the PL energy-transfer mechanisms from the oxygen
vacancy to europium. The excited-state lifetime values of the 5D0 state decreased with increasing doping concentration
due to the increase of the nonradiative transition rate. The internal
quantum efficiency, small excited-state lifetime, and photometric
parameters indicated that 3 mol % Eu3+-doped BaZrO3 can be a suitable candidate for the red-light-emitting device
applications.