BACKGROUND Liposomes were prepared from cationic surfactants synthesized using three amines, namely triethylamine (TEA), tripropylamine (TPA) and tributylamine (TBA), and their antimicrobial activities were examined. The structures of the synthesized cationic surfactants were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. RESULTS The critical micelle concentration and surface tension of the surfactants were in the ranges 1.9 x 10(-3)-8.1 x 10(-4) mol L-1 and 16.2-25.7 dyn cm(-1,) respectively. The resulting maximum surface excess concentration and minimum area per molecule were also reported. In addition, the foaming power and emulsion stability of the three synthesized surfactant types were measured. For the liposomes prepared using these surfactants, longer alkyl chains corresponded to larger-sized clean zones. TEA-16, TPA-16 and TBA-16 showed strong antimicrobial activity. CONCLUSION An easy synthetic method for cationic surfactants from TEA, TPA and TBA has been reported. By comparing the measured surfactant physical properties corresponding to the alkyl chain lengths of the three amines, it was determined that the clean area per molecule increased with increasing amine chain length. Liposomes were also synthesized using the cationic surfactants, and their associated antimicrobial properties were studied for application as future antimicrobial substances. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry