Tunable, antibacterial activity of silicone polyether surfactants

- Non-ionic silicone polyether surfactants can exhibit antibacterial activity almost equivalent to that of SDS.
- There is a clear and inverse correlation between hydrophobic head size and antibacterial activity at >CMC of surfactants.
- Antibacterial activity is proposed to be linked to micelle stability.
- HLB is a poor predictor for the antibacterial activity of silicone polyether surfactants.
- The work provides preliminary design guidelines for antibacterial, non-ionic surfactants.