In this article, we report the synthesis and characterization of chiral copolymers containing a photoactive azobenzene pendant group. The chiral copolymers of (S)-N-(1-phenyl ethyl) methacrylamide (S-NPEMAM) and disperse red 1 methacrylate (DR1MA) with two different feed compositions were synthesized by free-radical polymerization with 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile as an initiator. The purified chiral copolymers, poly[(S)-N-(1-phenyl ethyl) methacrylamide-co-disperse red 1 methacrylate], were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NMR, ultravioletvisible spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography analyses. The photoluminescence and chiroptical properties of the copolymers were evaluated. Induced circular dichroism (CD) was observed in the CD spectra, which arose because of the exciton splitting originated by the cooperative interactions between the pendant azobenzene chromophore of DR1MA and the benzene ring of the chiral monomer. The glass-transition temperatures of the chiral copolymers were observed to be above 117 degrees C, and the chiral copolymers were thermally stable up to 250 degrees C. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012