The adsorption and subsequent surfactant-induced swelling of a 10% charged cationic polyelectrolyte (AM-MAPTAC-10), on a gold surface, was monitored by means of a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). This instrument gives information on the total adsorbed amount including any adsorbed solvent and on the manner of adsorption. In this case the total adsorbed amount from a 20 ppm AM-MAPTAC-10 solution registered by the QCM-D device was approximately 0.6 mug cm(-2). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the polyelectrolyte adsorbed mass was 0.16 mug cm(-2); thus the water trapped within the polyelectrolyte layer constitutes about 70% of the mass measured by the quartz crystal microbalance. The adsorption process was found to be rather complex, though the time evolution of the adsorbed mass indicated that the majority of the process was diffusion controlled, Toward the end of the adsorption process, the rate of adsorption drops off and the dissipation rate increases, indicating that as the surface becomes crowded the layer extends further in the direction normal to the surface. The effect of addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SIDS) to a preadsorped AM-MAPTAC-10 layer was also investigated. It was found that some swelling of the preadsorbed layer occurred once the bulk surfactant concentration reached 20% of the critical micelle concentration (cmc). Between 60% of the cmc and twice the cmc, the adsorbed layer swelled significantly and desorption started to occur. Rinsing the surface with the surfactant-free electrolyte solution results in a rapid decrease in dissipation and adsorbed mass indicating the removal of the surfactant but not the polyelectrolyte.