Objective To study the corrosion inhibition performance of composite dopamine ( DP) / bovine serum albumin (BSA) film on the medical 316L stainless steel surface. Methods The dopamine/ BSA composite self-assembled bilayer film was prepared by soaking method on the surface of 316L stainless steel (316L SS) by using DP as the bridge layer. The effect of BSA mass concentration on the adsorption behavior and the corrosion inhibition performance of the bilayer film was studied by potentiody-namic scanning, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray detection (EDX). Results The composite self-assembled bilayer film showed corrosion inhibition effect in the appropriate condition. Too high and too low BSA mass concentrations were both unfavorable for the corrosion inhibition performance of the film. The optimum corrosion inhibition efficiency for 316L SS in physiological saline environment was obtained at the BSA mass concentration of 40 g / L, and the corrosion inhibition efficiency increased form 62. 4% of the single DP film to 83. 9% of the DP / BSA bilayer film. Conclusion The results show that DP molecules successfully graft BSA onto the surface of 316L stainless steel and the adsorption capacity is great improved compared with the single BSA film. It shows that the modified 316L SS surface with good corrosion resistance and biocompatibility can be obtained by using dopamine as the adhesive layer to graft BSA onto the substrate.