UV-curable, transparent acrylic resin/fitania organic-inorganic hybrid films were prepared by controlled hydrolysis of titanium tetrabutoxide in Span-85/Tween 80 reverse micelles and the subsequent in situ photopolymerization of the acrylic monomers. UV-vis spectra and atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated the presence of a nanoscale hybrid composition. The onset of absorption (lambda(onset)) of titania in the hybrids appeared between 363.4 and 383.5 nm, which exhibited blue shifts relative to that of bulk anatase (lambda(onset) = 385 nm). The titania content increased rapidly at higher temperature and higher TTB content, whereas it increased slowly with longer post-thermal treatment times. The refractive index and UV shielding properties of the organic polymer were obviously improved with increasing titania content. AFM images showed the inorganic domains (mean size 25.3-28.8 nm) were uniformly dispersed in the polymeric networks. The roughness parameters of the hybrid material were: toughness, 1.5-2.3 nm; root mean square roughness, 4.5-4.6 nm; and peak and valley distance, 9.7-19.4 mn. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.