The objective of this work was to elucidate the mechanism by which polyaniline ͑PANI͒ films passivate stainless steel surfaces in highly corrosive H 2 SO 4 solution. A variety of experimental methods, including measurements of the open-circuit potential, Auger depth profiling, and the scanning reference electrode technique ͑SRET͒, was used. These studies have shown that passivation is achieved because the oxidized and protically doped emeraldine-salt form of PANI holds the potential of the underlying stainless steel electrode in the passive region. Because of this electrostatic mechanism of corrosion inhibition, the entire stainless steel surface does not have to be coated with PANI in order to achieve passivation. Auger depth profiling experiments show that, in analogy to the case of a bare stainless steel surface whose potential is potentiostatically maintained in the passive region, the stainless steel surface beneath the PANI film is enriched in Cr after exposure to the H 2 SO 4 solution. Finally, SRET was used to explore passivation of the stainless steel in regions exposed to solution by pinholes intentionally cut through the PANI film. SRET shows that the PANI film surrounding the pinhole can heal the stainless steel in the pinhole region.Polyaniline ͑PANI͒ is one of the most intensively investigated of the electronically conductive polymers. 1-7 In 1985, DeBerry found that PANI films electrodeposited on stainless steel passivated the surface to corrosion in sulfuric acid solution. 8 Since then there have been numerous studies of the corrosion inhibition properties of PANI 9-14 and other electronically conductive polymers. 15 Nevertheless, there is no universally agreed upon mechanism by which these polymers provide anticorrosion properties. We have investigated corrosion inhibition by chemically synthesized PANI films coated onto stainless steel surfaces in aqueous sulfuric acid solution. The emeraldine-base form of the polymer was coated onto the electrode surface; however, exposure to the H 2 SO 4 solution converted this to the protically doped emeraldine salt form.A variety of experimental methods, including measurements of the open-circuit potential ͑OCP͒ Auger depth profiling, and the scanning reference electrode technique ͑SRET͒, was used to explore the mechanism by which the PANI film passivates the underlying stainless steel surface. These studies have shown that passivation is achieved because the PANI film holds the potential of the underlying stainless steel electrode in the passive region. The Auger results lend especially strong support to this conclusion. In analogy to the case of a bare stainless steel surface whose potential is potentiostatically maintained in the passive region, the stainless steel surface beneath the PANI film is enriched in Cr after exposure to the H 2 SO 4 solution. Because the PANI film passivates the electrode by simply holding the potential in the passive region, the entire stainless steel surface does not have to be coated with PANI in order to achieve passivation;...