New imidazole‐based dimers as potential inhibitors for mild steel corrosion in acidic media: Electrochemical and DFT evaluation

• Published in: Materials and corrosion 2020-02, Vol.71 (2), p.292-299
• Main Authors: Abdulazeez, Ismail, Al‐Hamouz, Othman C., Khaled, Mazen, Al‐Saadi, Abdulaziz A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acid corrosion; Aromaticity; Corrosion; Corrosion inhibitors; Corrosion prevention; Density functional theory; DFT calculations; Dimers; Imidazole; imidazole‐based dimers; Low carbon steels; metals and alloys; thin films; Ureas
• ISSN: 0947-5117; 1521-4176
• DOI: 10.1002/maco.201911123

We report the synthesis and corrosion inhibition performance of two imidazole‐based materials, 1,1′‐(4‐methyl‐1,3‐phenylene)bis(3‐(3‐(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)propyl)urea) (PIP) and 1,1′‐(hexane‐1,6‐diyl)bis(3‐(3‐(1 H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)propyl)urea) (HIP) dimers, in 1.0 M HCl. Electrochemical assessments indicated that the synthesized dimers facilitated the formation of a protective layer at the metal‐electrolyte interface and, as a result, blocked the active corrosion sites. At a concentration of 100 ppm, PIP behaved as a potential mixed‐type anticorrosive material with an overall efficiency of 99%. Density functional theory calculations showed that the aromaticity existing in the PIP backbone plays a major role in facilitating the corrosion‐inhibition role. The synthesis and corrosion‐inhibition performance of two imidazole‐based materials, 1,1′‐(4‐methyl‐1,3‐phenylene)bis(3‐(3‐(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)propyl)urea) and 1,1′‐(hexane‐1,6‐diyl)bis(3‐(3‐(1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)propyl)urea) dimers, in 1.0 M HCl is reported. Electrochemical assessments indicated that the synthesized dimers facilitated the formation of a protective layer at the metal‐electrolyte interface and, as a result, blocked the active corrosion sites.