ABSTRACT
Semiconductor nanoparticles including dots, rods, wires, and tubes have received much attention because of their applications, such as sensors, detectors, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic cells, and photocatalysis.1 Photoluminescence (PL) is a particularly useful tool for the identi£cation of crystal structures, particle size, and defect states, because the positions of PL peaks are strongly dependent on these structural characteristics.2 In addition, temporal changes of PL intensity and spectrum give us information about the underlying reaction chemistry. Recently, single-molecule (single-particle) ¬uorescence spectroscopy is emerging as an important technique for studying the photophysical and photochemical processes of all types of systems from simple dye molecules to luminescent quantum dots (QDs).3-5 In this chapter, we would like to outline the spectral and kinetic characteristics of PL from single semiconductor nanoparticles, mainly TiO2 nanoparticles. Nanostructured TiO2 photocatalysts
14.1 Introduction ......................................................................................391 14.2 Single-Molecule Fluorescence Spectroscopy ................................392
