We report the preparation of highly charged nanocomposites comprised of water-soluble, anionic fullerene and cationic poly-phenylenevinylene (PPV) derivatives. The nanocomposites display high fluorescence quenching efficiency (99%) presumably due to enhanced miscibility between cationic PPV and anionic C-60 via electrostatic interactions. We show that complexation between the cationic PPV and anionic C-60 derivatives leads to formation of nanocomposites with optical and electronic properties distinct from individual components without preferential electrostatic interactions. Photo-induced charge transfer quenches fluorescence from the PPV component is consistent with the frontier energy offsets of PPV and C-60, and cyclic voltammetry and UV-Vis spectroscopy measurements. This result confirms high miscibility between donor and acceptor and resonance Raman spectra indicate a conformational changes of the PPV backbone upon complex formation. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.