A novel series of water-soluble polyethylene glycol-polydimethylsiloxane (PEG-Silicone) polyesters was prepared by reacting organopolysiloxane with hydroxyl-terminated polyester. The polyesters are obtained by the polymerization of maleic anhydride (MA) and PEGs (number-average molecular weights (M) over bar (n) = 2000-10,000). FTIR, H-1-NMR, and elemental analysis were employed to characterized the structures of these compounds. These compounds exhibit good surface activities such as surface tension and low foaming. The influence of the PEG-Silicone polyester surfactants introduced at various concentrations (0.1-2 wt %) was examined by the contact angle method. The measurements performed with various solid substrates indicated that, at comparable concentrations, the PEG-Silicone polyester surfactants were shown to be more efficient for wetting PET and glass. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.