Extended delivery of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs through contact lenses loaded with Vitamin E and cationic surfactants.
Torres-Luna C, Hu N, Tammareddy T, Domszy R, Yang J, Wang NS, Yang A.
Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2019 May 11. pii: S1367-0484(18)31036-1. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2019.04.011.

Cationic surfactants as antifungal agents.
Fait ME, Bakas L, Garrote GL, Morcelle SR, Saparrat MCN.
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2019 Jan;103(1):97-112. doi: 10.1007/s00253-018-9467-6.

Stability Mechanism of Nitrogen Foam in Porous Media with Silica Nanoparticles Modified by Cationic Surfactants.
Wu Y, Fang S, Zhang K, Zhao M, Jiao B, Dai C.
Langmuir. 2018 Jul 10;34(27):8015-8023. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01187.

Microstructural characterization of nanocellulose foams prepared in the presence of cationic surfactants.
Mariano M, Hantao LW, da Silva Bernardes J, Strauss M.
Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Sep 1;195:153-162. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.04.075.

Antifungal activity of newly synthesized chemodegradable dicephalic-type cationic surfactants.
Paluch E, Piecuch A, Obłąk E, Lamch Ł, Wilk KA.
Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2018 Apr 1;164:34-41. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.01.020

Effect of Dialkyl Ammonium Cationic Surfactants on the Microfluidity of Membranes Containing Raft Domains.
Uyama M, Inoue K, Kinoshita K, Miyahara R, Yokoyama H, Nakano M.
J Oleo Sci. 2018;67(1):67-75. doi: 10.5650/jos.ess17124.

Quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants increase bioactivity of indoxacarb on pests and toxicological risk to Daphnia magna.
Li B, Li H, Pang X, Cui K, Lin J, Liu F, Mu W.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2018 Mar;149:190-196. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.11.038.

Novel amino acid-based surfactant for silicone emulsification and its application in hair care products: a promising alternative to quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants.
Fujii M, Inoue M, Fukami T.
Int J Cosmet Sci. 2017 Oct;39(5):556-563. doi: 10.1111/ics.12414.

Rheological properties of gels formed by physical interactions between hyaluronan and cationic surfactants.
Venerová T, Pekař M.
Carbohydr Polym. 2017 Aug 15;170:176-181. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2017.04.087

Investigation on interaction of DNA and several cationic surfactants with different head groups by spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis and viscosity technologies.
Guo Q, Zhang Z, Song Y, Liu S, Gao W, Qiao H, Guo L, Wang J.
Chemosphere. 2017 Feb;168:599-605. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.11.019

Cationic surfactants are commonly used in personal care products for their antistatic properties and then inserted into hair conditioners, softeners that, once dissolved in water, ionize to form positively charged ions (cations). They are used in a variety of applications due to their ability to reduce the surface tension between two liquids or a liquid and a solid, which allows them to act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents and dispersants.

Unlike non-ionic surfactants, they have specific antibacterial and disinfectant activities. Such as, for example, Benzalkonium chloride  which however the scientific literature has classified as potential eye irritant and Cetylpyridinium chloride.

Quaternary dialkylamines have been shown to be easily absorbed and therefore less suitable for biodegradation processes under certain conditions while DODMAC (dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride) with longer chain structures have been banned in several countries.

Cationic surfactants studies