Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical noise measurements as tools to evaluate corrosion inhibition of azole compounds on stainless steel in acidic media

The corrosion inhibition function of two azole derivatives namely benzotriazole (BTR) and benzothiazole (BNS) on stainless steel in 1 M HCl was investigated using electrochemical techniques and SEM surface analysis as well. In consistency with the data obtained from EIS and polarization curves, electrochemical current noise transient analysis, noise resistance and characteristic charge from shot noise theory indicated effectiveness of the inhibitors. The corrosion damage mitigation was also confirmed through SEM in the presence of BNS. To remove the DC trend from noise data, the appropriate p value was proposed based on the correlation with polarization and EIS data. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.