An electrochemical study for the evaluation of corrosion behavior using potentiodynamic and Tafel techniques was conducted in 0.9% NaCl solution on Ni-Ti and Ni-Ti-Al shape memory thin films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) were applied to observe morphology of the surface film and elemental distribution, respectively, prior to and after immersion in 0.9% NaCl solution. The concentration of dissolved Ni from Ni-Ti-Al thin films in the electrolyte, measured with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES), was significantly lower after immersion for 7 days, as compared to Ni-Ti thin film. This demonstrated that a better corrosion resistance and lower corrosion current density were revealed for Ni-Ti-Al thin films than that for Ni-Ti thin film. The improved corrosion performance of Ni-Ti-Al thin films would be potentially beneficial for related biological applications. This was attributed to the introduction of aluminum after exposure to an aqueous environment. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.