Corrosion Behavior of Cu in Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide-Based Disinfectants

Abstract

Cu ion release due to corrosion plays a critical role in the antimicrobial efficacy of Cu. There are, however, concerns regarding surface passivation, and thus, decreased Cu ion release after routine cleaning with hospital-grade disinfectants. In this study, immersion corrosion rate measurements up to 7 d coupled with SEM and XPS were employed to evaluate the corrosion behavior of pure Cu in 0.5% H2O2 and two commercially available hospital-grade H2O2-based disinfectants. Results show considerably higher corrosion rates in the commercially-available cleansers compared to H2O2 alone, meaning that Cu ion release occurs readily during routine disinfection with these products.