ELECTROCHEMICAL CHARACTERISATION OF X10CrNi 18-8 STEEL IN ARTIFICIAL PLASMA

J. Przondziono, Faculty of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Silesian University of Technology, Katowice, Poland, W. Walke, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland Quality of applied guide wires conditions the course of treatment and its success to a great extent. In order to simulate conditions that can be found in blood vascular system samples were exposed to artificial blood plasma (T = 37 ± 1 oC) for the time of 8 h. In order to obtain information regarding physical and chemical properties of modified surface of wire made of X10CrNi 18-8 steel, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test and tests of chemical composition of the surface layer X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were made. On the ground of performed EIS and XPS tests, favourable impact of steam sterilisation process on corrosion resistance of X10CrNi 18-8 steel was observed only for the case when chemical passivation was applied prior to sterilisation.