In this work we present equilibrium and dynamic surface tension together with dilational elasticity data for dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide in the presence of lambda-carrageenan, a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from algae. The critical aggregation concentration and (CAC) and critical micellar concentration CMC of the mixed system were determined and shown to have a direct influence on the elasticity modulus. The behavior of the adsorption kinetics was shown to be dependent on the surfactant to polyelectrolyte charge ratio or excess species in the bulk solution. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.