A series of poly(N-(omega'-alkylcarbazoly) methacrylates) tris(bipyridine) Ru-centered bifunctional polymers with good filming, thermal, and solubility properties were synthesized and characterized. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N-(w'-alkylcarbazoly) methacrylates in solution was used, where Ru complexes with one and three initiating sites acted as metalloinitiators with NiBr2(PPh3)(2) as a catalyst. ATRP reaction conditions with respect to polymer molecular weights and polydispersity indices (PDI) of the target bifunctional polymers were examined. Electronic absorption and emission spectra of the resultant functional polymers provided evidence of chromophore presence within a single polymeric chain. The thermal properties of all polymers were also investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and these analyses have indicated that these polymers possess higher thermal stabilities than poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) obtained via free radical polymerization. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.