A poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK) copolymer containing pendant hydroxyl groups was synthesized for the functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) under typical reaction conditions for the esterification of the nanotube-bound carboxylic acids. The functionalized nanotube samples, soluble in common organic solvents, were characterized by using optical absorption, Raman, and several microscopy techniques. The presence of ester linkages was supported by the results from chemical defunctionalization in hydrolysis that recovered insoluble SWNTs. The shared solubility of the functionalized nanotube samples with PVK enabled the wet-casting of high-quality PVK-SWNT nanocomposite thin films for an evaluation of their enhanced charge dissipation under illumination. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.