  We study mixtures of charged surfactants, which alone in solution form uni-
and multilamellar vesicles, and oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (PEs). The
phase behavior is investigated at fixed surfactant concentration as a function
of the PE-to-surfactant charge ratio $x$. We find that, for $x>0$, aggregates
form. Light microscopy and X-ray scattering experiments show that the
isoelectric point plays a crucial role since the morphology and the microscopic
structure of the aggregates are different before ($x\leq1$) and after the
isoelectric point ($x>1$). To better understand the dynamics for the formation
of PE/surfactant complexes, we perform light microscopy experiments where we
follow in real-time the effect of a PE solution on one multilamellar vesicle
(MLV). We find that the PE induces a peeling of the bilayers of the MLV one by
one. The peeling is accompanied by strong shape fluctuations of the MLV and
leads ultimately to a pile of small aggregates. This novel phenomenon is
analyzed in detail and discussed in terms of PE-induced tension, and pore
formation and growth in a surfactant bilayer.
