A combined electrochemical and theoretical study of pyridine-based Schiff bases as novel corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in hydrochloric acid medium

A Combined Experimental and Computational (DFT, RDF, MC and MD) Investigation of Epoxy Resin as a Potential Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in a 0.5 M H2SO4 Environment

In this work, a tetrafunctional epoxy resin entitled 2,3,4,5-tetraglycidyloxy pentanal (TGP) was tested and investigated as a potential corrosion inhibitor for mild steel (MS) in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution. The corrosion inhibition process for mild steel was employed alongside various techniques, such as potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), temperature effect (TE), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and theoretical approaches (DFT, MC, RDF and MD). Further, the corrosion efficacies obtained at the optimum concentration (10^-3 M of the TGP) were 85.5% (EIS) and 88.6% (PDP), respectively. The PDP results indicated that the TGP tetrafunctional epoxy resin acted the same as an anodic inhibitor type in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution. SEM and EDS analyses found that the protective layer formed on the MS electrode surface in the presence of TGP could prevent the attack of the sulfur ions. The DFT calculation provided more information regarding the reactivity, geometric properties and the active centers of the corrosion inhibitory efficiency of the tested epoxy resin. RDF, MC and MD simulations showed that the investigated inhibitory resin have a maximum inhibition efficiency in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution.

Revealing the Correlation between Molecular Structure and Corrosion Inhibition Characteristics of N-Heterocycles in Terms of Substituent Groups

Controlling metal corrosion can directly address the waste of metal and the environmental pollution and resource depletion caused by metal recycling, very significant factors for green and sustainable development. The addition of corrosion inhibitors is a relatively cost-effective means of corrosion prevention. Among these, N-heterocycles have been widely used because heteroatoms contain lone pairs of electrons that can be strongly adsorbed onto metals, protecting them in highly corrosive environments at relatively low concentrations. However, due to the large variety of N-heterocycles, their corrosion inhibition characteristics have seldom been compared; therefore, the selection of appropriate N-heterocycles in the development of anti-corrosion products for specific applications was very difficult. This review systematically analyzed the influence of different substituents on the corrosion inhibition performance of N-heterocycles, including different alkyl chain substituents, electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents, and halogen atoms, respectively. The correlation between the molecular structure and corrosion inhibition characteristics of N-heterocycles was comprehensively revealed, and their action mechanism was analyzed deeply. In addition, the toxicity and biodegradability of N-heterocycles was briefly discussed. This study has provided a significant guideline for the development of green, promising corrosion inhibitors for advanced manufacturing and clean energy equipment protection.

Green synthesis and anticorrosion effect of Allium cepa peels extract-silver nanoparticles composite in simulated oilfield pickling solution

An alternative green approach through which nanoscience/nanotechnology could be applied in the industry is being demonstrated in this study. Ethanol extracts of Allium cepa peels (Et-ACPE) is used to mediate the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Et-AgNPs) at room temperature. Stable crystalline, monodisperse and non-agglomerated spherical NPs with zeta potential of −46.2 ± 0.1 mV and plasmon absorption at 435 nm are obtained. Silver atoms are predominantly oriented towards the Ag (111) plane in a face centered cubic structure with a = b = c = 4.0968 Å having $$\alpha = \beta = \gamma = 90^\circ$$ α = β = γ = 90 ∘ . The surfaces of the NPs becomes rich in electron cloud due to O atoms supplied by capped phyto-compounds of Et-ACPE. This enhances adsorption potential and more efficient inhibition (up to 90% at 30 °C) of X80 steel corrosion in 1 M HCl solution than using the crude extract. Investigation of corrosion products and morphologies of the steel surface by FTIR, SEM/EDS and AFM techniques reveals efficient surface protection through adsorption of Et-AgNPs facilitated mainly by O and –C = C– sites. Findings prove that the Et-AgNPs is a more efficient and thermally stable alternative ecofriendly anticorrosion additive for industrial cleaning and pickling operations than the crude extract.

Synthesis, characterization and SAR studies of bis(imino)pyridines as antioxidants, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and antimicrobial agents

In this study we synthesized a series of sixteen bis(imino)pyridines (BIPs) starting from 2,6-diaminopyridine and various aromatic aldehydes, and evaluated their antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity. The chemical structures were elucidated by FTIR, elemental analysis, ESR and HRMS. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra couldn't be acquired due to the formation of stable, carbon-centered radical cations in a solution, as confirmed by ESR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The in vitro antioxidant potency was evaluated using four assays: free radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS), reducing power and total antioxidant capacity assay. BIPs demonstrated excellent antioxidant properties, and two derivatives proved to be more potent than reference antioxidants (ascorbic acid and Trolox) in all assays. DFT calculations on ωB97XD/6-311++g(d,p) level of theory provided valuable insights into the radical scavenging mechanism of BIPs. For hydroxyl-substituted BIPs, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) is a predominant mechanism, while the single electron transfer coupled with proton transfer (SET-PT) governs the antioxidant activity of other derivatives. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding (IHB) plays an important role in the mechanism of antioxidant activity as revealed by noncovalent interaction analysis and rotational barrier calculations. The spin density of radical cations is localized on carbon atoms of a pyridine ring, which corroborates with g-factors and multiplicity obtained from ESR analysis. The most potent BIP exhibited moderate inhibitory activity toward AChE (IC₅₀ = 20 ± 4 μM), while molecular docking suggested binding at the peripheral anionic site of AChE with the MMFF94 binding enthalpy of -43.4 kcal/mol. Moderate in vitro antimicrobial activity of BIPs have been determined against several pathogenic bacterial strains: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus and clinical isolate of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The antifungal activity of BIPs toward Candida albicans was also confirmed. The similarity ensemble approach combined with molecular docking suggested leucyl aminopeptidase as the probable antimicrobial target for the three most potent BIP derivatives.