The photophysical characterization of three soluble derivatives of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), co-functionalized with PEG and aminofluorene and co-functionalized with PEG and aminoanthracene is reported. The peculiar excellent solubility of these derivatives allows, for the first time in covalently functionalized SWCNTs, the study of their excitation dynamics by monitoring the near-infra-red emission. Moreover, the aminoanthracene derivative shows higher photoluminescence efficiency in the visible range than the aminofluorene derivative, demonstrating the possibility to tune extensively the photophysical properties of these functionalized SWCNTs. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.