Exploring corrosion protection for mild steel in HCl solution: An experimental and theoretical analysis of an antipyrine derivative as an anticorrosion agent

The corrosion of mild steel in HCl solution remains a critical issue in various industrial applications. In the quest for effective corrosion inhibitors, 4-(2-Hydroxy-3-Methoxybenzylideneamino) antipyrine (HMBA) has emerged as a promising candidate. This study investigates the inhibitory properties of HMBA on mild steel corrosion in HCl solution through weight loss measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) techniques. The experiments spanned over various time periods, including 1, 5, 10, 24, and 48 h. The results reveal that HMBA exhibits exceptional inhibition efficiency (IE), with an impressive 94.7% inhibition rate. This outstanding performance underscores its potential as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in aggressive HCl environments. To elucidate the adsorption behavior of HMBA on the mild steel surface, Langmuir isotherm modeling was employed, demonstrating a strong correlation between the experimental data and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Furthermore, the study employs density functional theory (DFT) to gain insight into the mechanism of HMBA inhibition. DFT calculations suggest that both physisorption and chemisorption mechanisms are involved in the interaction between HMBA and the mild steel surface. The calculated Gibbs free energy of adsorption ($\Delta G_{\mathrm{ads}}^o$) is found to be approximately $-33.8\mathrm{kJ}\mathrm{mo}{l}^{-1}$, indicating a spontaneous and energetically favorable adsorption process. In conclusion, HMBA emerges as a highly effective corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in HCl solution, offering impressive IE over various time intervals. The combination of experimental techniques, such as WL, EIS, and PDP, along with computational insights from DFT calculations, provides an understanding of the inhibitory properties of HMBA. These findings hold great promise for the development of environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors in industrial applications.