Steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements are used in order to investigate the emission properties of new graft copolymer involving poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and poly(3-methylthiophene) (PMeT) named PVK-3MeT. The photo-generated species in PVK-3MeT are identified as singlet intrachain excitons. Furthermore, radiative and nonradiative lifetimes have been calculated. The observed changes in the photo-physical properties of the different condensed phases could be directly related to the nanostructure of the material. The use of PVK in the chemical synthesis allows the obtaining of a new organic material with better emission and slowly radiative recombination compared to those of polythiophenes indicating that the radiative channel is more enhanced. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012