This research article describes a technique to synthesize new donor-acceptor-type conjugated polymers carrying 1,3,4-oxadiazolyl-naphthalene and 3,4-(ethylenedioxy/diphenyl)-thiophene moieties (P1 and P2) starting from 2,2'-sulfanediyldiacetic acid and diethyl ethanedioate through multistep reactions. The newly synthesized intermediates and the final polymers have been characterized by different spectroscopic techniques followed by elemental analysis. Their optical and electrochemical properties have been investigated by UV-visible, fluorescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetric studies, respectively. Furthermore, the nonlinear optical transmission properties of these polymers have been investigated by the open aperture z-scan technique. The new polymers P1 and P2 have well-defined structures, good thermal stability, and band gaps of 1.98 and 1.88 eV, respectively. They emit bluish-green fluorescence both in solution and in film state. Interestingly, these polymers show saturable absorption behavior. The results of nonlinear optical studies reveal that they are potential candidates for photonic switching device applications. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 30: 312-321, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20227