“…The nature of the defect states in II–VI NCs has been studied mainly by the PL spectroscopy. − Electron spin resonance (ESR) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), which probe microscopic signature of defects directly, − have rarely been applied up to now. − ,, In particular, an earlier ODMR study of large (>2 nm) CdS nanoparticles in phosphate glass revealed unusual spectra explained by signals from electron–hole pairs with a strong exchange interaction. , In our recent ODMR study of ∼5 nm CdS NCs in different polymer matrices, namely, the oxygen-containing polymer PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) and oxygen-free polymer PEI (polyethyleneimine), the differences in nanocomposite properties were correlated to different structures of the NC–polymer interfaces . ODMR studies of other quantum confined semiconductor systems (without magnetic dopants) are still very rare …”