This invention is a process for the manufacture of water stable, partially polymerized
antimicrobial alkoxysilyl
quaternary ammonium compounds and their trisilanol, polysiloxanol and
water soluble polysiloxane derivatives thereof (SQACs). Partial
polymerization is accomplished by allowing the aqueous SQAC product solution to polymerize at conditions that will substantially convert all the chlorosilanol
monomer to a
copolymer of the SQAC, thus reducing the
toxicity of the solution greatly. A stabilizing agent is added either before or after the partial
polymerization. The stabilizing agent is selected from a
list of
antimicrobial, naturally occurring, renewable
phytochemical essential oils and extracts that easily form
crystal clear microemulsions when water is added to the concentrated SQAC /
essential oil mixture. These non-foaming
oil in water microemulsions have excellent long term storage stability, are freeze / thaw stable, remain very low in
viscosity and do not phase separate or precipitate for many months. Many of the essential oils found to be useful in this process are non-toxic food additives and have pleasant scents, have low flammability yet are volatile enough to evaporate upon cure down of the SQAC, thereby resulting in a higher concentration of SQAC in the cured,
antimicrobial film. Economically shippable concentrations of the
low toxicity, partially polymerized, stabilized SQACs can be further diluted with water to application concentrations without loosing any of their stabilizing properties and remain storage stable at these lower concentrations indefinitely. In particular, the invention relates to the use of such aqueous dilutions cured as durable antimicrobial coatings on both manufactured and natural substrates and for human or
animal skin that covalently bond to the
skin, remain active through many washings and reduce or eliminate
bacteria, viruses and fungi for days.