The surface of nominally diamagnetic colloidal CdSe nanoplatelets can
demonstrate paramagnetism owing to the uncompensated spins of dangling bonds
(DBSs). We reveal that by optical spectroscopy in high magnetic fields up to 15
Tesla using the exciton spin as probe of the surface magnetism. The strongly
nonlinear magnetic field dependence of the circular polarization of the exciton
emission is determined by the DBS and exciton spin polarization as well as by
the spin-dependent recombination of dark excitons. The sign of the exciton-DBS
exchange interaction can be adjusted by the nanoplatelet growth conditions
