Cathodic protection (CP) is known as a reliable method to protect steel from corrosion. However,
the influence of CP on biofilm formation and maturation is not well known. There are three possible
effects of CP on biofilm formation and maturation. Those are: 1) deprivation of anchorage sites for
bacterial adhesion, 2) increase of electrostatic repulsion between the steel surface and negatively
charged bacteria, 3) elimination of bacteria in the biofilm by increasing pH. To investigate these
possible effects of CP on biofilm, carbon steel coupons were immersed in artificial seawater with
and without CP. CP retarded steel corrosion, as a consequence of inhibition of biofilm formation. CP
also inhibited initial attachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, a strain well known for its
negative charge and pioneering adhesive characteristics. Since the inhibitive effect of cell adhesion
was greater in low ionic conditions than in high ionic conditions, CP increased electrical repulsion
between the steel surface and bacteria. The increase of pH in an artificial biofilm composed of 0.5%
agar and 0.9% NaCl was also investigated theoretically and experimentally. The pH profile in the
artificial biofilm was analyzed using a capillary pH electrode. After three hours of CP, the biofilm
pH increased and as a consequence sterilized P. aeruginosa PAO1 imbedded in the film. However,
pH at the edge of the biofilm decreased sharply and reached the same value as that in the bulk-water.
Therefore, bacteria located at the edge of the biofilm survived during the application of CP.