The interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the cationic polymer poly(diallyldimethylammoniumchloride) (PDAC) was investigated by viscosity, conductivity, and dynamic light scattering measurements at 298K in order to monitor the changes in the charged nature and size of SDS + PDAC complexes. The experimentalresults showed that the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) value of SDS + 1 % mass fraction PDAC isalmost 2 orders of magnitude lower than the critical micelle concentration of SDS. The viscosity of the SDS +PDAC solution increased with decreasing shear rate, exhibiting non-Newtonian behavior. The minimum viscosityand hydrodynamic diameter of SDS + PDAC complexes at the binding site confirmed the contraction of thepolymer c
hain and the formation of a more compact structure. When the SDS concentration was above the CAC,the viscosity and hydrodynamic diameter increased, indicating that the PDAC c
hains first extended and finallycollapsed and precipitated. The binding degree of SDS + 1 % mass fraction PDAC was from
< 1 to
1.The interaction between SDS and PDAC can be divided into different characteristic SDS concentration ranges.At low SDS concentration, the surfactant-polymer system is a thermodynamically stable solution of the surfactant+ polymer complex molecules. Above this critical concentration, the system is an unstable colloid dispersion ofSDS + PDAC complex particles. The interaction between SDS and PDAC is favored and strong.