A cyclic monomer containing the chloromethyl unit 10-methylene-9,10-dihydroanthryl-9-spiro(4'-chloromethylphenyl)cyclopropane (MDCMS) was polymerized using a controlled radical ring-opening polymerization via a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process to afford a nonconjugated alternate polymer composed of anthracene and chloromethylstyrene (CMS) units. Well-defined random copolymers were obtained through the ring-opening RAFT copolymerization. Various functional groups were incorporated into the alternate polymer. The alternate polymer containing imidazole rings exhibited fluorescence quenching as a result of charge transfer. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) was observed in the alternate polymers containing naphthalene and thiophene rings. The random copolymers obtained by copolymerization followed by post-functionalizations exhibited characteristic optoelectronic properties that differed from those of the alternate polymers. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.