Computational simulation of the molecular structure of some triazoles as inhibitors for the corrosion of metal surface

Development of a 2D Network of Zinc Organophosphate with an 8-Membered Ring Core Having Corrosion Resistance Properties

A 2D framework, i.e., zinc organophosphate [Zn(tmbiph)(solv)]2 (tmbiphH4 = tetramethyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diyl bis(dihydrogen phosphate); solv = 2H2O) with an eight-membered ring core has been developed. The hierarchical and rational design of the zinc organophosphate has been achieved by carefully designing an organic bisphosphate ligand with two phosphate monoester groups connected through extended aromatic rings with methyl groups at ortho positions. The development of the 2D network does not require any ancillary ligand due to participating two phosphate groups in the coordination. The molecular structure of the zinc phosphate material was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The corresponding Co and Cu organophosphate materials have also been obtained using the same synthetic method; however, these compounds could not be confirmed structurally due to nondiffractive crystal quality. The structure of zinc organophosphate obtained through single-crystal X-ray diffraction has also been supported by theoretical calculations using density function theory. Furthermore, the zinc organophosphate material has been employed as an corrosion inhibitor for mild steel. The effect of the zinc phosphate framework on mild steel in 1 M HCl was investigated using polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This study suggests that such phosphate inhibitors can be employed in the form of a thin protective layer on the electrode surface.

Preparation of corrosion inhibitor from natural plant for mild stil immersed in an acidic environmental: experimental and theoretical study

In the present study, the inhibition performance of some medicinal plants (i.e. Yarrow, Wormwood, Maurorum, Marjoram, and Ribes rubrum) was theoretically and experimentally investigated for mild steel immersed in 1M HCl. In this way, the obtained extracts characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and the electrochemical and theoretical techniques were used to study the inhibition mechanisms of the extracts for the immersed electrode in the acidic solution. In addition, the microstructure of the electrode surface immersed in the blank and inhibitor-containing solutions characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Violet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy was used to confirm the adsorption of the compounds on the electrode surface. The obtained electrochemical results revealed that the inhibition performance of the green inhibitors increased by increasing their dosage in the electrolyte. In addition, it was proved that Marjoram plant extract possessed the most inhibition efficiency (up to 92%) among the under-studied herbal extracts. Marjoram extract behaved as a mixed-type inhibitor in the hydrochloric acid solution, and the adsorption process of the extract on the steel surface followed the Langmuir adsorption model. Adsorption of the compounds on the steel surface was also studied using density functional theory (DFT), and it was found that the protonated organic compounds in the extract have a high affinity for adsorption on the electrode surface in the acidic solution.

Density functional theory study of the corrosion inhibition performance of 6-mercaptopurine and 6-thioguanine expired drugs toward the aluminium (111) surface

The potentiality of the 6-mercaptopurine (MP) and 6-thioguanine (TG) expired drugs toward the corrosion inhibition of the aluminium (Al) (111) surface was widely investigated using a series of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A competition between the anti-corrosive features of the studied drugs in the gas and aqueous phases was conducted on both neutral and protonated forms by means of quantum mechanical descriptors. The results of the electrostatic potential analysis demonstrated the prominent nucleophilic nature of the sulfur and nitrogen atoms over the structures of the examined drugs. The frontier molecular orbital theory findings outlined the higher preferability of TG over MP as a corrosion inhibitor. Upon determining the most beneficial configurations of the MP/TG⋯Al (111) complexes, first-principles molecular dynamics simulations were executed. Interestingly, the competence of the TG drug in the corrosion inhibition process of Al (111) was more extensive than that of the MP one, which was confirmed by the interaction energy values of -1.79 and -1.64 eV, respectively. Upon obtaining the relaxed complexes, the effect of the presence of water solvent on the adsorption process was studied. These findings provide a foundation for developing green anti-corrosive inhibitors for the aluminium surface.

Refinement of nanoporous copper by dealloying the Al-Cu alloy in NaOH solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate

This work reports the refinement of nanoporous copper (NPC) ligaments by introducing the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant in the dealloying process. The Al₈₀Cu₂₀ (at%) alloy precursor is chemically dealloyed in a mixed solution of NaOH and SDS surfactant, producing NPC with a hierarchical microstructure. Micron-scaled skeletons that build up higher level networks consist of geometrically similar nano-scaled bi-continuous ligament-pore networks at the lower level. It has been found that the size of the ligaments in the lower level networks reduces from ∼32 nm to ∼24 nm with increasing SDS concentration to 1 mM. Further increasing the SDS concentration to 5 mM only leads to a slight ligament size decrease to ∼21 nm. Remarkably, nano-sized cones are formed on the lower level network surface in the dealloying solution containing 1 mM SDS, and the cone number greatly rises when the SDS concentration increases to 5 mM. The surface diffusivity of Cu adatoms is evaluated based on the experimental data, and the refinement of the ligament as well as the formation of cones are associated with the decreased surface diffusivity and the retarded Cu adatom motions with the addition of SDS. Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations are performed to model the adsorption behavior of SDS. It has been found that the SDS-substrate interaction increases with the number of SDS molecules before SDS reaches saturation.

Corrosion inhibition properties of schiff base derivative against mild steel in HCl environment complemented with DFT investigations

There is growing interest in using corrosion inhibitors and protective treatments to limit the degradation of mild steel, leading to the development of numerous Schiff bases as cutting-edge inhibitors. In this study, the effectiveness of a Schiff base, 3-((5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)imino)indolin-2-one (MTIO), to prevent mild steel corrosion in HCl was investigated using weight loss measurements, potentiodynamic polarization measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques, and surface characterization. The experimental results showed that 0.5 mM MTIO exhibited a satisfactory inhibitor efficiency of 96.9% at 303 K. The MTIO molecules physically and chemically adsorbed onto the mild steel surface following the Langmuir model, forming a compact protective film attributed to the presence of a thiazole ring in the MTIO structure. Theoretical calculations were combined with experimental techniques to investigate the anticorrosion performance and mechanism of inhibition.

Palmitic acid-based amide as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1M HCl

Due to growing environmental concerns and regulations limiting the use of harmful and toxic synthetic corrosion inhibitors, there is a high demand for sustainable corrosion inhibitors. In this study, a green and rapid technique was used to synthesize amide N-(4-aminobutyl)palmitamide (BAPA) which yielded 91.17% of the product within 2 min, compared to a low yield of 75-80% and a very long 8-10 h reaction time with the conventional thermal condensation method. The chemical structure of BAPA was analyzed by FT-IR, 1HNMR and 13CNMR spectra, as well as CHNS elemental analysis. When applied to mild steel exposed to 1 M HCl, BAPA delayed and reduced corrosion by adsorbing to the steel surface to form a protective layer. The inhibition efficiency increased with increasing amide concentration, and maximal inhibition of 91.5% was observed at 0.5 mM BAPA. The adsorption of BAPA on mild steel in an acidic solution was studied and inhibition performance was correlated with the calculated adsorption-free energy ΔGads, indicating good agreement between the experimental and adsorption findings. Surface morphology of untreated and treated mild steel coupons was evaluated by SEM, and based on density functional theory (DFT) computations and atomic charges analysis, a stronger interaction was observed between BAPA and mild steel surface leading to the formation of a compact protective film on the metallic surface. This protective film is attributed to the presence of nitrogen atoms and carbonyl group in the chemical structure of BAPA.

Experimental and computational studies of silver(I) dibenzoylmethane-based complexes, interaction with DNA/RNA/BSA biomolecules, and in vitro cytotoxic activity

Two silver(I) complexes of composition [Ag₂(L)₂] (1) and [Ag(L)(PPh₃)₂](2) (HL = dibenzoyl- methane, PPh₃ = triphenylphosphine) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR, XRPD, and UV-visible spectra. The molecular structures of the studied ligands and Ag(I) complexes have been characterized using Density Function Theory (DFT) calculations. This analysis has enabled us to determine the reactivity and the coordination site(s) for each ligand. Ag(I) ion is found to be coordinated with the ligand's oxygens in almost a linear fashion in complex (1), while in complex (2) it adopts a tetrahedral geometry. The interaction compounds with biomolecules; calf thymus (ct DNA), yeast-tRNA, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) were investigated using both absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The in vitro cytotoxic studies of the complexes against normal human lung fibroblast (WI38), cancerous breast (MDA-MB-231), mammary gland breast (MCF7), hepatocellular (HePG2), and prostate (PC3) cell lines indicated that the complexes are highly toxic to the cancer cells but less toxic towards the normal one when compared with the ligand. Flow cytometric results showed that complex (1) induced cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and complex (2) at G2/M and S phases. Moreover, the results of apoptotic genes (caspase3 and p53) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl2) led us to suggest an apoptotic killing mechanism of cells rather than a necrotic one.

Analysis of the protection of copper corrosion by using amino acid inhibitors

Since the human body is one of the highly aggressive environments, the materials utilized for an implant should have high resistance to degradation and corrosion. One of the commonly used biomaterials in medicine is copper (Cu). The Cu corrosion can result in the release of ions in the body with high toxicity, thereby causing inflammatory diseases. Based on the literature, as biomolecules, amino acids act as a corrosion inhibitor in aggressive solutions. The current work aims at scrutinizing the inhibition impact of L-arginine (L-Arg) and L-Valine (L-Val), which have been rarely investigated, upon the corrosion process of Cu. We undertook density functional theory computations to scrutinize the inhibitory impact of L-Arg and L-Val as well as their conformers upon Cu corrosion. Also, we scrutinized the computed parameters according to the back donation of electrons between Cu and the inhibitors, transported electron fraction, energy gap, softness, hardness, E_HOMO, and E_LUMO. According to the theoretical indices of L-Arg, it prefers adsorption. We examined the inhibitory efficiency of L-Arg against corrosion and found that it is a promising inhibitor.

Synthesis and Corrosion Inhibition Performance of Mannich Bases on Mild Steel in Lactic Acid Media

Heterocyclic Mannich bases, N-(3-oxo-3-phenylpro-pyl)thiazol-2-aminium chloride (DTZA) and N-(3-oxo-3-phenylpropyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-aminium chloride (DPZA), were developed for the corrosion inhibition of N80 steel in a 15 wt % lactic acid solution. Weight loss measurements, electrochemical techniques, surface characterization, and theoretical calculations were combined to investigate their anticorrosion performance and mechanism. The results showed that DTZA exhibited a satisfactory inhibitor efficiency of 97.56% with a dosage of 0.15% at 363 K, while DPZA achieved only 58.3% under the same conditions. Adsorptions of both inhibitors on the metal surface followed the Langmuir model with physical and chemical adsorptions. Based on X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, DFT calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, stronger interactions between DTZA and iron than those in the case of DPZA were revealed, leading to the formation of a compact protective film on the metal surface, which is attributed to the presence of a thiazole ring in the DTZA chemical structure.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Leaf Extract as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Carbon Steel in Acidic Solution: Electrochemical, Functional and Molecular Analysis

An extract of cucumber leaves (ECSL) was prepared as a green corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel. Its carbon steel corrosion inhibition performance against 0.5 mol L-1 H2SO4 was investigated using electrochemical methods and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Its composition was analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) were conducted to elucidate the adsorption mechanism of the inhibitor molecules on the carbon steel surface. The results indicated that the inhibition efficiency increases with its increasing concentration. The extract acted as a mixed type corrosion inhibitor, and its inhibition properties were ascribed to the geometric coverage effect induced by its adsorption on the metal surface in accordance with Langmuir's law. The active components in the extract were identified as mainly organic compounds with functional groups such as aromatic moieties and heteroatoms. The inhibition activities of ECSL are delivered through the ability of the active components to adsorb on the metal surface through their functional groups to form a protective layer which hinders the contact of aggressive substances with carbon steel and thus suppresses its corrosion. This research provides an important reference for the design of green corrosion inhibitors based on plant waste materials.

A GAN-Augmented Corrosion Prediction Model for Uncoated Steel Plates

The deterioration and damage of aging steel structures have caused huge safety concerns. Corrosion has been identified as a big reason for the deterioration and damage, which causes steel members to lose materials. As a result, the structures’ stiffness and load-bearing capacity will be reduced, which brings economic losses and safety hazards. For the maintenance and repair of steel structures, fast and accurate prediction of corrosion development plays a critical role in numerical simulation analysis, which could save time and costs. In this research, we build a simulation system based on GAN data augmentation with UNet as the generator and MobileNetV2 as the discriminator. The goal is to effectively predict the corrosion behavior of uncoated steel structures over time and under different circumstances. The system can simulate three stages of corrosion based on the dataset collected from experiments. It can also predict the corrosion of steel plates in the next stage. The discriminator of the system can be used to classify the type of steel, the stage of corrosion, and days of corrosion. Based on comparative experiments, our system demonstrates outstanding performance and outperforms the baseline model.

Natural parsley oil as a green and safe inhibitor for corrosion of X80 carbon steel in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution: a chemical, electrochemical, DFT and MC simulation approach

This work focuses on the use of natural parsley oil as a safe, eco-friendly and cost-effective inhibitor for dissolution of X80 carbon steel (X80CS) in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. Electrochemical and chemical measurements and theoretical studies were utilized to determine the inhibitory vigor of parsley oil. The inhibition efficacy increases with an increase in the parsley oil concentration and a decrease in temperature. It reached 95.68% at 450 ppm of parsley oil. The inhibition process is explained by spontaneous adsorption of the oil on the X80CS. Adsorption is described by the Langmuir isotherm model. The polarization data demonstrate that parsley oil is categorized as a mixed inhibitor with a dominant control of the cathodic reaction. Parsley oil inhibits the pitting corrosion of X80CS in the presence of NaCl solution by moving the pitting potential to a more positive mode indicating protection against pitting attack. The thermodynamic parameters for activation and adsorption were computed and interpreted. The four chemical components in natural parsley oil were examined using density functional theory (DFT). Monte Carlo (MC) simulation was performed to study the adsorption of parsley oil on the X80CS surface. The outcomes confirmed that the Apiole molecule is the most effective in the inhibition process.

Experimental and theoretical insights into copper corrosion inhibition by protonated amino-acids

The effects of cysteine (Cys) and l-methionine (l-Met) on copper corrosion inhibition were examined in 1 M HNO₃ solution for short and long exposure times. Potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used. The EIS determined the potential for zero charges of copper (PZC) in the inhibitor solution. SEM and AFM have been used to study material surfaces. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify surface elemental composition. DFT and molecular dynamics simulations explored the interaction between protonated amino acids and aggressive media anions on a copper (111) surface.

The effects of cysteine (Cys) and l-methionine (l-Met) on copper corrosion inhibition were examined in 1 M HNO₃ solution for short and long exposure times.

Performance and Mechanism of Alkylimidazolium Ionic Liquids as Corrosion Inhibitors for Copper in Sulfuric Acid Solution

The addition of corrosion inhibitors is an economic and environmental protection method to prevent the corrosion of copper. The adsorption, performance, and mechanism of three 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([BMIM]HSO4, [HMIM]HSO4, and [OMIM]HSO4) ionic liquids (ILs) on the copper surface in 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions were studied by quantum chemical calculation, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR), and molecular dynamics simulation. It is found that the main reactive site is located on the imidazolium ring (especially the C2, N4, and N7 groups). When the alkyl chain of the imidazolium ring is increasing, the molecular reactivity of the ILs and the interaction between the ILs inhibitor and copper surface are enhanced. The imidazole ring of the ILs tends to be adsorbed on Cu (111) surface in parallel through physical adsorption. The order of adsorption energy is [Bmim]HSO4 < [Hmim]HSO4 < [OMIM]HSO4, which is in agreement with the experimental order of corrosion efficiency. On the imidazole ring, the interaction between the copper surface and the C atom is greater than that between the copper surface and the N atom. It is found that ILs addition can hinder the diffusion of corrosion particles, reduce the number density of corrosion particles and slow down the corrosion rate. The order of inhibition ability of three ILs is [Bmim]HSO4 < [Hmim]HSO4 < [OMIM]HSO4,which agree well with experimental results. A reliable QSAR correlation between the inhibition corrosion efficiency and molecular reactivity parameters of the ILs was established.

Corrosion Inhibition of 3003 Aluminum Alloy in Molar Hydrochloric Acid Solution by Olive Oil Mill Liquid By-Product

According to the literature, the works on the inhibition of aluminum alloy corrosion using naturally occurring compounds are limited. For this, the inhibiting effect of oil mill liquid by-product (OMW) on the corrosion of 3003 aluminum alloy (AA3003) in molar hydrochloric acid solution was evaluated using electrochemical techniques. In parallel, a computational approach based on DFT/B3LYP and Monte Carlo methods was used to understand the inhibition process under electronic and atomic scales, respectively. The experimental results reveal that OMW has a good inhibiting effect on the corrosion of AA3003 alloy in the tested solution and acts as a cathodic inhibitor. The inhibitory efficiency increases by increasing OMW concentration to attain 89% at 6.0 ppm. The effect of temperature shows that the inhibition efficiency of OMW decreases with temperature rising. Nevertheless, a good prevention capacity of 83% is obtained at 338 K. Such interesting achieved protection property was attributed to the adsorption of OMW constituents onto the alloy surface via a mixed physichemisorption process. This process is found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Furthermore, the activation thermodynamic parameters of the corrosion process of AA3003 alloy were also determined and discussed. The computational outcomes outlined the ability of the OMW components to interact favorably with the metal surface, hence the formation of a protective layer, which justified the observed inhibition behaviors. Conferring to the present study, OMW can be used as a good green corrosion inhibitor for AA3003 alloy in the acidic medium.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of benzoic acid derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for AISI 316 stainless steel in hydrochloric acid medium: DFT and Monte Carlo simulations on the Fe (110) surface

The inhibition efficiency of benzoic acid (C1), para-hydroxybenzoic acid (C2), and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (C3) towards enhancing the corrosion resistance of austenitic AISI 316 stainless steel (SS) has been evaluated in 0.5 M HCl using weight loss (WL), open circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization method, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The results obtained from the different experimental techniques were consistent and showed that the inhibition efficiency of these inhibitors increased with the increase in concentration in this order C3 > C2 > C1. In addition, the results of the weight loss measurements showed that these inhibitors followed the Villamil isotherm. Quantum chemical calculations and Monte Carlo simulations have also been used for further insight into the adsorption mechanism of the inhibitor molecules on Fe (110). The quantum chemical parameters have been calculated by density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level of theory with 6-31G+(2d,p) and 6-31G++(2d,p) basis sets in gas and aqueous phase. Parameters such as the lowest unoccupied (E LUMO) and highest occupied (E HOMO) molecular orbital energies, energy gap (ΔE), chemical hardness (η), softness (σ), electronegativity (χ), electrophilicity (ω), and nucleophilicity (ε) were calculated and showed the anti-corrosive properties of C1, C2 and C3. Moreover, theoretical vibrational spectra were calculated to exhibit the functional hydroxyl groups (OH) in the studied compounds. In agreement with the experimental data, the theoretical results showed that the order of inhibition efficiency was C3 > C2 > C1.

Experimental and Theoretical Insights into the Synergistic Effect of Iodide Ions and 1-Acetyl-3-Thiosemicarbazide on the Corrosion Protection of C1018 Carbon Steel in 1 M HCl

Experimental insights into the synergistic effect of 1-acetyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (AST) and iodide ions on the corrosion of C1018 carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution were investigated using open-circuit potential (OCP), linear polarization resistance (LPR), electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Theoretical studies were further undertaken using ACD/LABS Percepta software, density functional theory (DFT) calculations and Monte Carlo simulation to understand the mechanism of the corrosion inhibition process and interpret the experimental results at the atomic and molecular levels. The electrochemical results obtained showed that AST alone inhibited the acid-induced corrosion of C1018 carbon steel. The inhibition efficiency increases with a concentration reaching up to 72.27% at 750 ppm of AST. The addition of 5 mM KI to 250 ppm of AST improved the inhibition efficiency to 81.64%. The solubility and protonated state results predicted using the ACD/LABS Percepta software showed that AST was highly soluble in the aqueous acidic medium and approximately 95% of AST exists in the neutral form in 1 M HCl (pH = 0). DFT calculations and a Monte Carlo simulation were utilized to predict the active reactivity sites of AST and calculate the lowest adsorption energy and configuration of AST alone and AST + iodide on/Fe (110)/water interface.