ESR studies of aqueous suspensions of zinc oxide

Results are presented from a technique which allows reproducible ESR spectra to be obtained from circulating aqueous suspensions of various zinc oxides. Singlet ESR signals with g ≈ 1.96 were observed in the dark from In-ZnO and from several zinc oxides under UV illumination. Fast and slow components of the photoinduced ESR signal are attributed respectively to surface and bulk electrons produced initially from photogenerated electron—hole pairs.