Polymerization reactions in lyotropic liquid crystalline phases have opened the way to the development
of many novel materials. Inter alia, the two-dimensional self-assembly of amphiphiles in vesicle bilayers
has attracted considerable interest as an ordered reaction medium. In this study we follow three different
routes to polymerize within vesicle bilayer membranes with a view to preparing novel vesicle−polymer
colloids. First, we study the vesicle formation and the polymerization of functional amphiphiles carrying
one or two styryl groups. A combination of characterization techniques gives insights into bilayer properties,
polymerization kinetics, and vesicle morphology of these (polymerized) vesicles. On the basis of this reference
system, we explore the copolymerization of monomers inserted in the matrix of polymerizable amphiphiles.
On the basis of kinetic and morphological data we prove that the copolymerization is viable if the
polymerizable moieties are adequately chosen with respect to reactivity and location within the amphiphile
matrix. Extremely deformed, albeit stable, vesicles are induced by cross-linking inserted monomers with
monofunctional amphiphiles. In a last step, we attempt the synthesis of two-dimensional interpenetrating
networks employing the previously polymerized amphiphile networks as templates. The cross-linking of
divinylbenzene within cross-linked membranes affords peculiar orange-skin-like bilayer morphologies
and gives evidence of the feasibility of the concept. Throughout the study, cryogenic electron microscopy
appears as an indispensable means to unravel the morphology of the obtained vesicle−polymer architectures.
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