Self-assembled films of carbazole (CZ) and N-vinylcarbazole (NVC) were prepared on copper surfaces. The corrosion protection abilities of the films were evaluated in an air-saturated 0.5 mol dm(-3) NaCl solution using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy ( EIS), polarization and cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate that CZ and NVC form dense protective films on copper. Fourier transform infrared ( FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the film. It was found that the NVC molecules are tilted at an angle to the copper surface. The theoretical ab initio calculations support the experimental results.