Low‐Concentration Corrosion Inhibition of Carbon Steel in 1.0 M HCl by a Tricationic Pyridinium Surfactant: Experimental and DFT Insights
JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS, ss.1-16, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1002/jsde.70114
- Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF SURFACTANTS AND DETERGENTS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Pharma Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Chemical Abstracts Core, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-16
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
A tricationic surfactant containing pyridinium and quaternary ammonium centers, denoted mono16-diN+-PyN+, was synthesized and evaluated as a corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in 1.0 M HCl. Its structure was confirmed by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy, while its inhibition performance was investigated by gravimetric, electrochemical, contact-angle, adsorption, surface, and density functional theory analyses. Gravimetric measurements showed inhibition efficiencies of 98.80%–99.48% over the investigated immersion periods, even at very low inhibitor concentrations. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed an increase in charge–transfer resistance from 165.5 Ω for the blank solution to 1238 Ω at 10 ppm, accompanied by a marked decrease in double-layer capacitance, indicating formation of a protective adsorbed layer. Potentiodynamic polarization confirmed mixed-type inhibition: at 10 ppm, the corrosion current density decreased from 492 to 37.4 μA cm−2 and the corrosion rate from 5.71 to 0.43 mm year−1, corresponding to an inhibition efficiency of 92.4%. The water contact angle increased from 17.15° to 71.50°, demonstrating enhanced surface hydrophobicity after adsorption. The adsorption behavior was best described by the Langmuir isotherm, and negative ΔG°ads values indicated spontaneous adsorption involving electrostatic and charge–transfer interactions. SEM, EDS, and Gwyddion-derived 3D surface profiles showed reduced surface damage and fewer corrosion products in the presence of the inhibitor. DFT results further indicated that the heteroatom-rich head group, pyridinium unit, cationic centers, and hydrophobic alkyl chain contribute synergistically to adsorption and barrier formation. These findings demonstrate that mono16-diN+-PyN+ provides highly effective corrosion protection at low concentrations.