Suppression of steel corrosion via some gemini cationic surfactant-based Schiff base: experimental and theoretical investigations

Steel is involved extensively in engineering vast constructing units in many industries and can undergo to corrosion by some chemical and/or electrochemical reactions with the environment. Therefore, designating an organic inhibitor with a specific chemical structure will participate in steel protection via enhancing their adsorption on the steel surface. Three gemini cationic surfactants based on azomethine with different hydrophobic tails labeled GSBI8, GSBI12, and GSBI16 have been designated and evaluated as corrosion inhibitors utilizing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), gravimetrical and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. Importantly, the surfactant tail regulated the corrosion inhibition performance; with increasing the surfactant tail length, their inhibition efficiency enhanced because of their higher adsorption affinity. The inhibition efficiency of GSBI8, GSBI12, and GSBI16 reached 95.52, 96.72, and 97.1% respectively (EIS measurements). The Tafel examination clarified that GSBI8, GSBI12, and GSBI16 inhibitors behave as mixed type inhibitors following the modified Langmuir isotherm. The inhibitors adsorption on C-steel was confirmed by SEM surface examination. Finally, the DFT and MCs point of views investigation supported the experimental performance of the tested GSBI8, GSBI12, and GSBI16 inhibitors and specially their dependence on surfactant tail length.

Automated summary

Steel is prone to corrosion in various industries due to chemical and electrochemical reactions with the environment. This study investigated the use of organic inhibitors with specific chemical structures to enhance steel protection. Three cationic surfactants were tested as corrosion inhibitors, and it was found that their inhibition efficiency improved with increasing hydrophobic tail length.