Surface area exclusion chromatography (SAEC) was employed to determine the stability characteristics of saturated homogeneous layers when interfacial exchange or transfer of molecules was promoted. In these experiments, the first polymer layer was established by elution of a column composed of stacked glass-fiber filters with one polymer. Then, after displacement of the void by water, the second polymer was subsequently injected under the same elution conditions. The experiments combine polymers of equal or different molecular weight and/or hydrolysis grade. Histograms of SAEC experiments demonstrate the great stability of the initially adsorbed layer. Domains of high and low adsorption values were determined to exist along the chromatography column after injection of the first polymer sample. The polymer injected second slightly modifies the initial adsorption histogram and mainly overadsorbs on the low adsorption domain of the first polymer. The major result relates to the relaxation phenomenon affecting or not the second adsorbed polymer when it adsorbs on filters belonging to the low adsorption domain of the polymer first injected. The relaxation is impeded when the relaxation of the first polymer is of great amplitude, whereas it occurs when the relaxation of the first polymer is small. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.