Corrosion Inhibition of Copper-nickel Alloy: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

The corrosion inhibition of copper-nickel alloy by Ethylenediamine (EDA) and Diethylenetriamine (DETA) in 1.5M HCl has been investigated by weight loss technique at different temperatures. Maximum value of inhibitor efficiency was 75% at 35 degrees C and 0.2 M inhibitor concentration EDA, while the lower value was 4% at 35 degrees C and 0.01 M inhibitor concentration DETA. Two mathematical models were used to represent the corrosion rate data, second order polynomial model and exponential model respectively. Nonlinear regression analysis showed that the first model was better than the second model with high correlation coefficient. The reactivity of studied inhibitors was analyzed through theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The results showed that the reactive sites were located on the nitrogen (N1, N2 and N4) atoms.