On the biological response of austenitic stainless steels after electrochemical -EP and MEP- polishing

The austenitic cold-rolled AISI 316L stainless steel was used for the studies. Corrosion resistance measurements were performed on the samples after three types of treatments: abrasive finishing (MP), standard electropolishing (EP), and magnetoelectropolishing (MEP). They were carried out in Ringer's solution at a room temperature, indicating a considerable difference in the breaking potential Epit values, dependent on surface treatment. Two groups of samples, those after EP and MEP, were submerged in broth culture wild strain of Escherichia coli from contaminated river water. Images of the steel samples submerged for 2 and 4 hours are displayed in the paper. A statistical approach has been performed. In each case the number of bacteria deposited on the MEP steel samples was higher in comparison with that one noticed on EP samples, increasing much faster with time on the MEP ones.