INTERACTION OF CATIONIC POLYELECTROLYTE WITH SODIUM DODECYL-SULFATE

The interaction of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) with a cationic polye lectrolyte derived from a copolymer of 4-vinyl pyridine and styrene wa s investigated. It was found that there is a narrow molar ratio region of SDS/cation at which the viscosity of aqueous solutions rise sudden ly due to the aggregation of the SDS attached to the polymer chain, an d then falls sharply when the SDS/cation ratio increases because of de aggregation. Under suitable conditions a reversible gelation is observ ed. A suggestion to explain these phenomena is proposed. (C) 1998 SCI.