Green and Synthetic Corrosion Inhibitors for Steel and Copper in Acidic Environments
This research community focuses on developing and testing chemical compounds that prevent the degradation of metals, specifically mild steel, carbon steel, and copper, when exposed to aggressive acidic environments such as hydrochloric and sulfuric acid. The work is driven by the need for effective, often eco-friendly, protective agents for industrial processes like pickling, acidizing, and chemical processing.
The recurring materials and methods center on the evaluation of both synthetic organic derivatives and natural extracts as corrosion inhibitors. A significant portion of the work involves testing plant-based extracts, crop waste, and carbon dots as "green" alternatives to traditional toxic inhibitors. The primary metals studied are mild steel and copper, with substantial attention to aluminum alloys and stainless steel. The dominant testing environments are hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid solutions, with sodium chloride solutions also frequently cited. Methodologies heavily feature electrochemical measurements, adsorption isotherm analysis (such as Langmuir models), and computational simulations (DFT/MD) to understand the interaction between the inhibitor molecules and the metal surface.
The largest share of the community's output is found in chlorine research, accounting for 4.8% of all chlorine-related papers, and copper research, representing 1.8% of all copper-related papers. These shares reflect the central role of chloride ions and copper substrates in the corrosion processes studied.
The community comprises 10,118 papers, publishing most frequently in Corrosion Science, the International Journal of Electrochemical Science, and the Journal of The Electrochemical Society.
Recent work continues to explore eco-friendly inhibitors for mild steel in acidic environments, including studies on spent coffee grounds-derived carbon dots and expired drugs as potential inhibitors for stainless steel. Newer research also extends to specific industrial applications, such as corrosion protection for anchor cables in deep coal mines and aluminum alloys in alkaline media.