We studied the temperature-dependent steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence properties of very small
(1-2 nm) ZnO, CdO, and PbO amorphous nanoclusters prepared in AOT reverse micelles and imbedded in polymethyl
methacrylate(PMMA) films. X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction and imaging indicate that these structures are
amorphous. These amorphous oxide nanoclusters demonstrate similar structural, electronic, and optical properties.
Properties of steady-state fluorescence spectra indicate the unique localization of electronic states due to the amorphous
structure. ZnO and CdO show double-band fluorescence structure, which is due to the spin-orbital splitting, similar to
Cu2O. Time-resolved fluorescence studies of the nanoclusters in the polymer reveal two lifetime components, as found
in solution. The slow component reflects relaxation processes from band-tail states while the fast component may be
related to high-lying extended states. The temperature dependence of fast fluorescence component reveals the presence
of exciton hopping between anharmonic wells at temperatures higher than 200K. We correlate the barrier height between
two wells formed around local atoms with the inter-atomic distance and bond ionicity.