Vesicles are membrane structures that enclose an internal aqueous space.
The internal compartment is separated from the external medium by a bilayer composed of discrete amphiphilic molecules. Membrane forming molecules include phospholipids, glycolipids, block copolymers etc. Lipid membranes, though, have a limited stability and are susceptible to thermal transitions from gel to liquid crystalline phases. It is of interest, therefore, to study membranes composed of amphiphilic polymers whose thicker hydrophobic core may add stability and reduced permeability and may prove useful in encapsulation technology. Rhodia Inc. These synthetic molecules consist of two covalently linked homopolymer chains.