The electropolymerization of 4-methyl carbazole-3-carboxylic acid was successfully performed on a stainless steel (316L) surface with lithium perchlorate/acetonitrile as the supporting electrolyte. The corrosion resistance of the new coating, poly(4-methyl carbazole-3-carboxylic acid) (PCz), was investigated. To this end, potentiodynamic polarization curves, open circuit potentials, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to evaluate the capacity of the PCz coating to protect the steel surface. The corrosion tests indicated that PCz exhibited effective anodic protection in a corrosive test solution. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 111: 1496-1500, 2009