Carrier recombination in clusters of NiO

We studied the dependence of carrier recombination pathways in nanoparticle s of NiO on surface conditions. Two types of 0.6 nm short-range order clust ers of NiO were prepared in reverse micelles of dodecyl benzene sulfonate. The steady-state absorption and time-resolved fluorescence measurements wer e done in order to investigate the photophysical properties of d-d in-gap t ransitions. The NiO nanoclusters and bulk steady-state optical absorption a nd emission properties are comparatively discussed from the prospective of Laporte's rules relaxation. The results of the time-resolved emission studi es allowed us to develop the phenomenological model of the in-gap carrier r ecombination in NiO clusters. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.