Nanosized particles derived from poly(methyl methacrylate) as well as copolymer of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were synthesized by differential microemulsion technique in the presence of ammonium persulfate as water-soluble initiator. The polymerization was stabilized by adding biologically safe emulsifiers namely the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) either alone or in conjunction with polyethylene glycol. The turbidity measurements, surface tension, ? potential, and morphological characterizations of the obtained nanosized poly MMA and its copolymer with HEMA in different monomer feed compositions were investigated. It is found that increasing HEMA content leads to increase in the particle size, turbidity measurements but the negatively charged ? potential decreased. However, when SDS is used, the surface tension of the prepared lattices increased, whereas it is decreased by using PVP. Kinetic studies of (MMA/HEMA) in ratio of 95/5 wt % in the presence of SDS or PVP revealed that the emulsifier concentration has a considerable effect on the rate of polymerization and the power of the emulsifier. The entrapment of drug was investigated using two active molecules different in water solubility (sodium warfarin and ibuprofen). It is noted that entrapment efficiency is independent of HEMA content in the monomer feed composition but dependent on type of drug and the amount of drug introduced. Hence, higher entrapment efficiency was attained for sodium warfarin (more hydrophilic) than that of ibuprofen (more hydrophobic) and they were 95.5 and 85%, respectively. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013