Poly(o-methyl-acrylamideyl-benzoic acid)-ZnS (P(o-MAABA)-ZnS) nanocomposites have been prepared and characterized. The resultant P(o-MAABA)-ZnS nanocomposites in solution show two emissions in the purple-light area (370 nm) and in the blue-light area (425 nm), which are assigned to the polymer and ZnS nanoparticles, respectively. The coordination between the polymer and Zn2+ and the surface chemical composition has been studied by Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The particle size of ZnS nanoparticles was homogeneous and the average size was 3.8 nm, which were characterized by UV absorption spectrum and X-ray Diffraction. The P(o-MAABA)-ZnS composites displays good film formability and the films also show two emissions in 370 and 425 nm. After doped with Tb3+, there was effective energy transfer from ZnS nanoparticles to Tb3+. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1990-1995, 2010