Polymerization reactions can be carried out in microstructured fluids, namely microemulsions and vesicular solutions, to yield novel polymer molecules and nanostructures. Microemulsions are equilibrium phases that contain immiscible liquids such as oil and water stabilized by a surfactant film. They are of both scientific and great practical interest. We have carried out polymerization of several monomers in oil-in-water microemulsions and have produced very stable monodisperse latices with particle sizes as small as 10 nm. Fast polymerization rates, high conversions and ultra-high molecular weight polymers are achieved with both oil-soluble and water-soluble initiators. A theory of the process will be described along with confirmatory novel small angle neutron scattering experiments. Further analysis isolates the effects of monomer water solubility, glass transition temperatures, and termination processes on the polymerization pathways. A fairly complete description of the process is in hand.
 
    Closed spherical polymer shells can be synthesized via polymerization of monomers taken up in closed surfactant bilayers called vesicles. Typical vesicle dispersions are formed by mechanically disrupting a lamellar phase, but vesicles form spontaneously in mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactant. Proper use of surfactant mixtures avoids syntheses of specialized surfactant molecules, and indeed the electrostatic interactions of anionic and cationic surfactants makes available a rich variety of microstructures. The unilamellar vesicles that form spontaneously can be used as templates or molds for polymerization reactions, and the resulting products are characterized by Cryo-TEM and scattering experiments.