Ennoblement of open circuit potential (OCP) for stainless steel in natural seawater was analyzed. OCPs of platinum, gold, palladium, chromium, titanium and nickel ennobled in natural seawater as well as that of stainless steel, SUS304 (18Cr-8Ni). OCP ennoblement is not a specific phenomenon to only stainless steel. Microorganisms in marine biofilm caused OCP ennoblement. Cathodic polarization curves elucidated that synergistic effects of hydrogen peroxide and acidity by marine biofilm probably caused OCP ennoblement in natural seawater. Furthermore, we analyzed microbial consortia in the marine biofilm using molecular biological technique, PCR-DGGE. This made us possible to identify
microorganisms in the microbial consortia based on DNA sequences without any microbial culture.
Keywords; Ennoblement, seawater, biofilms, stainless steel, SUS304, platinum, cathodic polarization, hydrogen peroxide, low pH, microbial consortia, PCR, DGGE, 16S rRNA, DNA