Development of self-assembled monolayer of stearic acid grafted chitosan on mild steel and inhibition of corrosion in hydrochloric acid

Abstract

Abstract Chitosan (CS) based systems are extensively used as a green alternative for corrosion protection of mild steel (MS) possessing good film-forming properties, chelation with metal and nontoxic nature. In this study, a self-assembled monolayer of stearic acid grafted chitosan was developed via 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide mediated coupling reaction and casted on the MS surface. From the fluorescence intensity of the fluorescent probe pyrene, the critical micelle concentration (66 μg/mL) of self-aggregates in aqueous solution was determined. The purified chitosan grafted films were characterized by apposite analytical techniques. The film developed was employed for corrosion protection of MS in 0.5 and 1 N HCl via electrochemical and non-electrochemical techniques. The results showed that stearic acid grafted chitosan (CSA) films do offer better corrosion protection to MS than bare CS film.