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Photoluminescence, absorption, and photocurrent measurements were made for a hybrid system of 1-thioglycerol-capped HgTe nanoparticles synthesized by colloidal method to investigate the photocurrent mechanism in this hybrid system. Absorption and photoluminescence spectra taken for the capped HgTe nanoparticles reveal strong exciton peaks in the near-infrared wavelength range. The wavelength dependence of the photocurrent for these capped nanoparticles is very close to that of the absorption spectrum. For the photocurrent mechanism of the hybrid system, on the basis of our experimental results and energy diagram for the 1-thioglycerol-capped HgTe nanoparticles, it is suggested in this letter that holes among electron-hole pairs created by incident photons in the HgTe nanoparticles are transferred to capping 1-thioglycerol while electrons are strongly confined in these nanoparticles and that the holes contribute to the photocurrent flowing in the medium of 1-thioglycerol. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]