The surface modification of the stainless steel mesh (SSM) was conducted by acid etching, binder-free carbon black (CB) coating and the low-temperature heat treatment below 400 degrees C to improve the microbial bioelectrocatalytic activity for use as high-performance anode in microbial fuel cells. The modified SSM, such as SSM/CB-400, could generate a high current density of up to 1.91 mA cm(-2), which was nearly three orders of magnitude higher than the untreated SSM electrode (0.0025 mA cm(-2)). Moreover, it was stable and recovered the equal current density after removal of the formed biofilms. Surface characterization results demonstrate that the performance improvement was attributed to the CB/Fe3O4 composite layer formed onto the surface of the SSM, which protected the biofilms from being poisoned by the Cr component in the SSM and ensured a rapid electron transfer from biofilms to the SSM surface. The CB/Fe3O4 composite layer showed excellent corrosion-resistant under the oxidizing potential of +0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Rising the heating temperature to 500 degrees C, the SSM-500 and SSM/CB-500 electrodes suffered from corrosion due to the formation of alpha-Fe2O3 crystals. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.