Assessment of the inhibitive performance of a hydrazone derivative for steel rebar in a simulated concrete medium: Establishing the inhibition mechanism at an experimental and theoretical level

Abstract

In the present work, a low-cost and practical approach based on an eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor is suggested for protecting steel rebar. To this end, a new hydrazone derivative, namely N'-(furan-2-ylmethylene)-2-(5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl) acetohydrazide (FMAH) was synthesized and its corrosion inhibition characteristics for steel rebar (STR) in chloride contaminated simulated concrete pore solutions (ClSCPS) were evaluated using experimental and theoretical methods. The electrochemical studies, which were conducted at several periods ranging from 1 h to 30 d indicated that the addition of FMAH to the ClSCPS significantly improved the passive film formation. It considerably increased film and charge transfer resistances at an early immersion stage, then decreased at longer immersion periods. Potentiodynamic polarization curves (PPCs) revealed that the investigated compound could be categorized as a mixed inhibitor with a predominance anodic effect. The gravimetric and potentiodynamic polarization studies confirmed corrosion inhibition efficiencies of 80.9% and 81.1%, respectively, for 1.0 mmol.L-1 FMAH after 30 d of exposure. Surface characterization of corroded and inhibited STR surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), SEM coupled with EDS, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) revealed that inhibitor molecules chemically adsorbed on the STR forming a highly resistant protective layer against corrosive species. Theoretical modeling of inhibitor’s adsorption on the iron surface by the self-consistent-charge Density-functional tight-binding (SCC-DFTB) indicated the formation of several covalent bonds between carbon and oxygen atoms with the iron atoms. The analysis of FMAH-Fe (110) adsorption systems by projected density of states revealed that FMAH molecules adsorbed on the iron surface through a charge transfer process. The interesting results from the present work would open great opportunities for exploring the anti-corrosion performance of the investigated compound in concrete.