Phenyl methacrylate and l-naphthyl methacrylate were polymerized in microemulsions using stearyltrimethylammonium chloride, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and a mixture of nonionic Triton surfactants to form latexes that were 20-30 nm in diameter. A temperature of 70 degreesC was needed to obtain polymers using thermal initiation. The tacticities of poly(phenyl methacrylate) (PPhMA) (55% rr) and poly(1-naphthyl methacrylate) (P-1-NM) (47% rr) were the same as those of the polymers prepared in toluene solutions. The weight average molecular weights were 1 x 10(6) and 5 x 10(5) g/mol for PPhMA and P-1-NM prepared in microemulsions with very broad distributions. PPhMA samples from microemulsions and solution had the same T-g = 127 degreesC. P-1-NM from microemulsions had T-g = 145-147 degreesC compared with T-g = 142 degreesC for P-1-NM from solution. The molecular weights and the glass-transition temperatures of both PPhMA and P-1-NM from microemulsions are substantially higher than any previously reported. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.