Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of new soluble polyimides that are functionalized using carbazole moieties in their side chain. As a monomer for synthesizing the polyimides, 4 ''-carbazole-9-yl-[1,1';2',1 ''] terphenyl-4-4'-diamine and 2-(3-carbazol-9-yl-propyl)-biphenyl-4,4'-diamine were synthesized and then characterized using H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR, FTIR, UV-visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and elemental analysis. The polyimides synthesized via chemical imidization processes were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, wide angle X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, DSC, tensile strength measurement, and dielectric property measurement. Results showed that the synthesized polyimides were soluble in a variety of organic solvents, optically transparent in a visible range, thermally stable, mechanically strong, and considerably low dielectric. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8117-8130, 2008