Interaction of cationic polyelectrolyte with sodium dodecyl sulphate

The interaction of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) with a cationic polyelectrolyte derived from a copolymer of 4-vinyl pyridine and styrene was investigated. It was found that there is a narrow molar ratio region of SDS/cation at which the viscosity of aqueous solutions rise suddenly due to the aggregation of the SDS attached to the polymer chain, and then falls sharply when the SDS/cation ratio increases because of deaggregation. Under suitable conditions a reversible gelation is observed. A suggestion to explain these phenomena is proposed. (C) 1998 SCI.Polymer ScienceSCI(E)EI6ARTICLE4285-2884