Copolymers of styrene and various hydrophilic monomers were synthesized by anionic and free-radical polymerizations, and by polymer analogue reactions. The copolymers were subsequently used in an emulsion solvent evaporation process to yield core shell nanoparticles. We describe here the influence of the copolymer structure on the morphology of the nanocapsules. The core shell nanoparticles were found to be suitable for the encapsulation of monomers and catalysts for self-healing materials.