Effect of Ultrasonic Shot Peening on the Corrosion Resistance and Antibacterial Properties of 304 Cu-Bearing Stainless Steel

doi:10.1007/s40195-025-01855-9

Abstract

Abstract:

This study investigated the effects of ultrasonic shot peening (USSP) treatment at various durations on the corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties of 304 Cu-bearing stainless steel (304-Cu SS). The results showed that USSP treatment refined the surface microstructure, enhancing hardness, wear resistance, and dislocation density. With longer treatment time, grain size decreased, and martensitic phase formation was promoted, improving mechanical properties. However, extended USSP treatment induced internal stresses, negatively affecting corrosion resistance. Cu addition to 304 stainless steel resulted in large Cu-rich phases, leading to uneven elemental distribution and reduced corrosion resistance. USSP effectively fragmented these phases, promoting a uniform distribution and enhancing the formation of a dense passive film, with the 304-Cu-5 min coupon showing the best corrosion performance. Cu also significantly improved antibacterial properties, demonstrating strong activity against Eescherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus after 72 h. Overall, USSP treatment optimized both corrosion resistance and antibacterial performance, with the 5 min treatment providing the best balance.

Key words: Ultrasonic shot peening, Cu-bearing stainless steel, Corrosion resistance, Antibacterial ability

Yuntian Lou, Shengyu He, Xudong Chen, Weiwei Chang, Hao Zhang, Jingzhi Yang, Hongchang Qian, Dawei Zhang. Effect of Ultrasonic Shot Peening on the Corrosion Resistance and Antibacterial Properties of 304 Cu-Bearing Stainless Steel[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2025, 38(8): 1371-1384.

Figures/Tables 15

Table 1 Chemical compositions of 304 SS and 304-Cu SS (wt%)

	C	Cr	Ni	Mn	Si	Cu	Fe
304 SS	0.01	17.92	7.81	1.12	0.44	-	Bal.
304-Cu SS	0.01	17.01	7.85	0.99	0.40	4.08	Bal.

Fig. 1 SEM images of coupon cross sections under different conditions: a 304 SS; b 304-Cu SS; c 304-Cu SS USSP-5 min; d 304-Cu SS USSP-10 min; e 304-Cu SS USSP-15 min; f XRD results of coupons surface under different conditions

Fig. 2 EBSD images of the cross-sections of coupons under different conditions: a-e SEM images; a1-e1 inverse pole figure (IPF); a2-e2 grain orientation spread (GOS) maps

Fig. 3 Grain size distribution of the cross-sections of coupons under different conditions

Fig. 4 Nanoindentation results of different coupon surfaces: a load-displacement curves; b hardness (H) and reduced modulus (Er) values; c H/Er ratio

Fig. 5 SEM images and corresponding EDS spectra of the coupons under different conditions

Fig. 6 Potentiodynamic polarization curves of different coupons immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution for a 24 h, b 48 h, c 72 h

Table 2 Epit values of different coupons after immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h (V vs.SCE)

304	304-Cu	304-Cu-5 min	304-Cu-10 min	304-Cu-15 min
24 h	0.251	− 0.028	0.194	0.027	0.008
48 h	0.262	0.018	0.269	0.110	0.095
72 h	0.256	0.011	0.267	0.237	0.024

Fig. 7 SEM images of different coupons after 72 h of immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution followed by potentiodynamic polarization testing

Fig. 8 EIS results of the different coupons immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution for a 24 h, b 48 h, c 72 h

Table 3 EIS parameters for 304 SS and 304-Cu SS under different conditions

	R_s (Ω cm²)	Q_f × 10^-5 (Ω⁻¹ Sⁿ cm⁻²)	n₁	R_f × 10⁴ (Ω cm²)	Q_dl × 10^-5 (Ω⁻¹ Sⁿ cm⁻²)	n₂	R_ct × 10³ (Ω cm²)
24 h
304	10.1	2.0	0.81	10.9	2.1	0.81	1093.1
304-Cu	6.8	3.8	0.94	19.6	9.5	0.90	157.9
304-Cu-5min	7.2	1.6	0.89	24.2	1.9	0.87	2119.8
304-Cu-10min	9.1	2.3	0.93	13.1	93.2	0.88	389.8
304-Cu-15min	6.6	3.8	0.77	29.1	5.5	0.81	308.7
48 h
304	8.4	1.5	0.95	20.6	84.4	0.79	1567
304-Cu	7.1	3.5	0.93	58.8	8.1	0.71	337.1
304-Cu-5min	9.2	1.4	0.91	49.6	24.5	0.73	3430
304-Cu-10min	10.1	2.2	0.74	63.9	11.0	0.81	1093
304-Cu-15min	10.9	2.1	0.87	73.1	5.9	0.84	878
72 h
304	7.4	1.6	0.95	15.9	1.5	0.95	1289
304-Cu	10.7	2.8	0.87	31.8	4.8	1.11	109.8
304-Cu-5min	11.7	73.4	0.91	33.6	41.6	0.81	3104
304-Cu-10min	16.3	2.2	0.88	90.3	57.3	0.90	830.9
304-Cu-15min	9.9	50.0	0.89	42.0	36.7	0.66	560.9

Fig. 9 Mott-Schottky plots of the different coupons immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution for a 72 h, b corresponding Nd values

Fig. 10 XPS analysis of the different coupons immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution for 72 h

Fig. 11 ICP-MS results of the different coupons immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution for 72 h

Fig. 12 Evaluation of antibacterial performance on the surface of different coupons after 24 and 72 h of exposure: a E. coli; b S. aureus

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