[en] Microorganisms in natural waters often adhere onto material surfaces in cooling water systems; they secrete slime, trap nutrients and reproduce, resulting in a complex biofilm that hampers the property of the condenser material. Biofilm formation on titanium material (commercial y pure, CP), used as condenser material, reduces heat-transfer efficiency. Experience worldwide has shown that routine water treatment programmes cannot remain effective under varying environmental, design and operation factors. Thus, the need of the hour is a means to continuously monitor the effectiveness of the control programmes and facilities to modify it as per need. In our laboratory we are involved in developing a probe based on electrochemical techniques to monitor early biofilm formation. Our earlier experience has shown that changes in some electrochemical parameters like open circuit potential (OCP) ennoblement, increase in passive current density and active repassivation potential would indicate crevice-stabilization tendencies of a heterogeneous biofilm on stainless steel materials. Literature further explains that there is a distinct time lag between crevice initiation and crevice propagation. Hence, it was hypothesized that if we can provide necessary conditions of crevice initiations artificially by intermittent polarization, electrochemical signals generated during crevice initiation can diagnose the causative agent of the crevice, that is, biofilm. However, care should be taken to avoid crevice propagation. Thus, attempts were made to distinguish the response of current to temporary application of a potential difference between two similar stainless steels (AISI Type 304, 316) and titanium electrodes in the biofilm forming environment. (author)