A series of novel polyamides with pendent naphthylamine units having inherent viscosities of 0.15-1.02 dL/g were prepared via direct phosphorylation polycondensation from various diamines and a naphthylamine-based aromatic dicarboxylic acid, 1-[N,N-di(4-carboxyphenyl)amino]naphthalene. These amorphous polyamides were readily soluble in various organic solvents and could be cast into transparent and tough films. The aromatic polyamides had useful levels of thermal stability associated with high glass-transition temperatures (268-355 degrees C), 10% weight loss temperatures in excess of 480 degrees C, and char yields at 800 degrees C in nitrogen higher than 60%. These polymers showed maximum ultraviolet-visible absorption at 350-358 nm and exhibited fluorescence emission maxima around 435-458 nm in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone solutions with fluorescence quantum yields ranging from 0.4 to 15.0%. The hole-transporting and electrochromic properties were examined with electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyamide films cast onto an indium tin oxide coated glass substrate exhibited one oxidative redox couple around 1.08-1.16 V (oxidation onset potential) versus Ag/AgCl in an acetonitrile solution and revealed good stability of the electrochromic characteristics, with a color change from colorless to green at applied potentials ranging from 0 to 1.6 V. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.