Corrosion and antimicrobial behavior of stainless steel prepared by one-step electrodeposition of silver at the grain boundaries

Introducing Ag to the surface is a common means to obtain an antibacterial product. However, the poor adhesion between coating and substrate often results in a non-durable antibacterial performance. Herein, we developed a simple one-step pulse-reverse electrodeposition method to introduce Ag particles into the grain boundaries of 304 stainless steel (304 SS) surface for a stable and long-acting antibacterial application. In the present method, the grain boundary was preferentially corroded as the potential “seat” for Ag particles, and the surface content of Ag upgraded to 0.57 at.% by optimizing the electrolyte, electrodeposition temperature, reaction time, and current density. Without deteriorating the corrosion resistance of the substrate, the 304 SS with Ag particles demonstrated considerable antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus even after ultrasonic treatment or accelerated abrasion. Consequently, the current study proposes a facile strategy for the production of durable antibacterial stainless steel.