A functional polymer polybis (benzylsulfinyl) ethane (PBBSE) and Tb3+ - PBBSE-L (where L is low-molecular-weight organic ligands) ternary complexes were synthesized. The structures of the polymer complexes were investigated by elementary analysis and by comparison of infrared (IR) and fluorescence spectra between the polymer complexes and the corresponding low-molecular-weight complexes. Emission bands of f --> f transition of Tb3+ in the polymer complexes were characterized. There are 4-7 emission peaks in the fluorescence spectra of the polymer complexes at excitation of ultraviolet light at room temperature. Of particular interest is the strong fluorescence intensity of the polymer ternary complex Tb-PBBSE-Phen. The fluorescence intensity of the complexes was increased in the following order : Tb-PBBSE (27.0) < Tb-PBBSE-TTA (82.3) < Tb-PBBSE-Phen (172.2). The maximum excitation energy and the apparent Stokes shift were increased just as this order in the Tb-PBBSE-low-molecular-weight ligand system complexes.