Experimental and theoretical investigations of an unsymmetrical tridentate schiff base as an anti-corrosion agent for mild steel in 2M hydrochloric acid electrolyte

Abstract

The inhibition performance and adsorption behavior of an unsymmetrical tridentate Schiff base, 2-(((2-((2-nitrophenyl) thio) phenyl) imino) methyl)phenol (NOS) on mild steel in 2M hydrochloric acid solution has been studied using electrochemical and quantum chemical techniques. The electrochemical outcomes suggest that NOS works as an anodic-type inhibitor. The adsorption process of the NOS Schiff base obeys the Langmuir model. The theoretical evaluation has been performed using DFT calculations to investigate the correlation of effective corrosion inhibition with some NOS Schiff base structural parameters. The obtained results revealed that there was a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results.