Poly(ester-sulfone) was synthesized via a thiol-ene click reaction between bis(butenyl) methylsuccinate and 1,4-butanedithiol, and the product poly(ester-sulfone) was found to move to the anode selectively in electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on stainless steel. To clarify the electrophoretic mechanism, dispersions consisting of poly(ester-sulfone) and various protic solvents were prepared, and EPD on a metal substrate (stainless steel, titanium, indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc, and platinum) was performed. When an aprotic polar solvent (N, N-dimethylformamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, and dimethyl sulfoxide) was used as the good (soluble) solvent and various alcohols as the poor (insoluble) solvent, anode-selective EPD behavior was attained. The negative zeta potential of each dispersion (-40 to -20 mV) was also confirmed, again using various alcohols as the poor solvent, which reveals that the electrophoretic behavior is dependent upon a partial charge separation in the protic solvent (alcohol) at the interface of the dispersion. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.