Emission properties of the cyanine dye, 1-(2-naphthyl)-2-ethenyl-(2-benzothiazolium) iodide, in aqueous nanocavities offered by cyclodextrins and in a film of a polymeric matrix were studied by means of steady-state and picosecond time-resolved emission spectroscopy. The results show the occurrence of a fast twisting motion and a subsequent intramolecular charge-transfer reaction. The initial step can be prevented by the size of the nanocavity which governs the spectral position of the fluorescence band and lifetime of the excited encapsulated host. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.