Celastrus paniculatus seeds as a green corrosion inhibitor for stainless steel in H2SO4 acidic solution

Abstract

Corrosion poses a significant threat to the durability and safety of metallic structures, particularly in aggressive environments such as sulfuric acid solutions. In this study, the corrosion inhibition performance of Celastrus paniculatus for steel in 0.5 M H2SO4 is investigated. Celastrus paniculatus, a natural plant extract known for its potential corrosion-inhibitive properties, is explored as a green alternative to synthetic inhibitors.The experimental methodology involves the immersion of steel specimens in 0.5 M H2SO4 solutions containing various concentrations of Celastrus paniculatus extract. Electrochemical techniques, such as potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, assess corrosion inhibition efficiency. Surface analysis techniques, i.e., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were employed to investigate the steel surfaces' morphological changes and elemental composition also Quantum Chemical Computations were conducted to find the energy levels of the Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (ELUMO) and Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (EHOMO) and the energy gap (ΔE) between HUMO and LUMO from the optimized structure to find of which phytochemical absorb on the surface of the metal and this, we can clear that lower energy containing phytochemical will absorb more on the metal surface and have their greater efficiency. The study contributes to the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable corrosion inhibitors for steel in corrosive media, with potential applications in various industrial sectors. In metallic industries during acid cleaning or pickling processes metal undergoes acidic corrosion. This acidic corrosion can be prevented by many ways including alloying or dealloying of metals, anodic and cathodic protection or application of inhibitors. In this study, we have used the Celastrus paniculatus seed extract. Although its medicinal applications were explored but it was not used as a anticorrosive agent. So here we have determined the anticorrosive effects of Celastrus paniculatus seed in 0.5 M H2SO4 and used this as a novel and highly effective during acid cleaning.