A synthesized copolymer, synthesized from HFMA (hexaflurobutyl methacrylate) and SPEC (PHFMA-g-PSPEG), was synthesized. PHFMA-g-PSPEG intercalated to the DNA base pair via a strong hydrophobic force, and this was conformed by ultraviolet spectroscopy, transmittance measurements, micropolarity measurements, resonance light scattering (RLS) spectroscopy, and particle size measurements. The copolymer was used as a new probe to detect DNA according to the RLS technique. The hydrophobic interaction between PHFMA-g-PSPEG and DNA significantly enhanced the RLS signal, and the enhanced RLS intensity at 422 nm was proportional to the nucleic acid concentration within the range of 0.09-0.90 mg/L with a detection limit (3 sigma) of 4.0 mu g/L. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 291-298, 2010