This new volume is the first systematic review of surfactant-modified, water-soluble polymers. The authors, representing leaders in their fields, offer practical information about associative thickeners and polymer surfactants, including spectroscopic and rheological analysis of thesewater-soluble polymers in aqueous solutions. In addition, aqueous gels of varying chemical types are studied with respect to their properties in numerous applications. Among the topics covered are: aqueous gels; surfactant-modified, water-soluble polymers; polyelectrolyte synthesis; elongationalviscosity; and fluorescence phenomena of water-soluble polymers.