Size matters: Mechanism of metal release from 316L stainless steel particles is governed by size-dependent properties of the surface oxide

Abstract

Size-dependent health aspects due to exposure to micro- or nano-sized particles can only be fully understood if their physicochemical properties are well characterized. The aim of this study was to explain the process of metal release from well-characterized inert gas atomized stainless steel 316L particles, sized<4µm (fine) and<45µm (coarse), in aggressive environments of relevance for inhalation and cellular uptake. This was accomplished by correlating new results from real-time metal release measurements with particle- and surface oxide characteristics. In simulated biological media with complexing properties, a complexation (ligand)-induced dissolution mechanism is dominating the metal release from fine 316L particles (having a homogeneous and amorphous Mn-rich surface oxide due to rapid cooling). At similar conditions, the coarse 316L particles show a metal release mechanism dominated by fast dissolution of surface oxide nanoparticles (rich in Mn, Fe, and some S), acting as initiation sites for metastable pitting corrosion.