New fluorescent elastomeric materials were successfully prepared by reaction of an excited state intramolecular proton transfer-exhibiting silyl-functionalized benzothiazole dye with synthetic and natural epoxidized rubbers. The fluorescence emission and excitation spectra were obtained from the dye and the elastomeric materials to characterize its photophysical behavior. The benzothiazole derivative is fluorescent in the yellow region and presents a Stokes shift of 188 nm (solution) and 198 nm (solid state). After purification, the obtained materials from epoxidized rubbers presented excitation and emission maxima located at 358 nm and 550 nm, respectively, with a Stokes shift of 192 nm. The fluorescent dye could not be extracted from these films by solubilization-precipitation procedure, indicating the presence of covalent bonding between the dye and the matrix. On the other hand, the dye could be readily washed out of films that had been prepared using the corresponding nonepoxidized rubbers. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.