Correlation between surface physicochemical properties and the release of iron from stainless steel AISI 304 in biological media

- Strong influence of surface contamination on the surface energy of stainless steel.
- Strong correlation between contact angle and iron release for BSA-adsorbed surfaces.
- Strong correlation between wettability/surface energy and iron release in citrate.
- Adsorption-controlled ligand-induced metal release proposed for BSA and citrate.