The first-ever grafting of poly(1,3-cyclohexadiene) (PCHD) onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was accomplished by reaction with poly(1,3-cyclohexadienyl)lithium. The rate of this reaction was especially slow due to the heterogeneous nature of the reaction system. The concentration of active carbons available for reaction with PCHDLi on the solid surface of the SWNTs was found to be approximately 2.0 mol %. The mass of PCHD attached to the SWNTs was effectively controlled by varying the molecular weight of the PCHD. The resulting PCHD-grafted SWNTs exhibited excellent solubility in organic solvent, maintaining a highly stable homogeneous dispersion even after 3 months. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012