Research progress of carbon dots as novel corrosion inhibitors

Abstract

Corrosion is a global issue, costing the economy more than $2.5 trillion annually and affecting metal structures across various industries. Corrosion inhibitors effectively mitigate metal corrosion and are popular in the field of corrosion protection, due to their efficiency, low cost, and environmentally friendly properties. Carbon dots (CDs), as a new class of carbon nanomaterials, show significant potential as corrosion inhibitors. Currently, various methods have been developed to synthesize efficient CD inhibitors, and the structures of CD inhibitors can be easily regulated by changing the synthetic parameters. More importantly, CDs demonstrate promising inhibition performance in various environments, including acidic solutions, NaCl solutions, CO₂-saturated NaCl solutions, microbial-corroded solutions, and alkaline solutions. Moreover, their related inhibition mechanisms are revealed through electrochemical methods, surface characterization, adsorption isotherms, and theoretical calculations. This review comprehensively summarizes the research progress of CDs as novel corrosion inhibitors, containing the synthesis methods of CD inhibitors, their applications in different solutions, and their corrosion inhibition mechanisms. This review would inspire researchers to tap into the full potential of CDs as novel corrosion inhibitors.