Effect of copper addition on mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and antibacterial property of 316L stainless steel

By Xi, Tong; Shahzad, M. Babar; Xu, Dake; Sun, Ziqing; Zhao, Jinlong; Yang, Chunguang; Qi, Min; Yang, Ke
Published in Materials Science and Engineering: C NULL 2017

Abstract

Abstract The effects of addition of different Cu content (0, 2.5 and 3.5 wt%) on mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and antibacterial performance of 316L austenitic stainless steel (SS) after solution and aging treatment were investigated by mechanical test, transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), electrochemical corrosion, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and antibacterial test. The results showed that the Cu addition and heat treatment had no obvious influence on the microstructure with complete austenite features. The yield strength (YS) after solution treatment was almost similar, whereas the aging treatment obviously increased the {YS} due to formation of tiny Cu-rich precipitates. The pitting and protective potential of the solution treated Cu-bearing 316L {SS} in 0.9 wt% NaCl solution increased with increasing Cu content, while gradually declined after aging, owing to the high density Cu-rich precipitation. The antibacterial test proved that higher Cu content and aging were two compulsory processes to exert good antibacterial performance. The {XPS} results further indicated that aging enhanced the Cu enrichment in passive film, which could effectively stimulate the Cu ions release from the surface of passive film.

Read » Back