Ellipsometric study of effects of organic inhibitors on mild steel in 1M hydrochloric acid

Abstract

An ellipsometric study has been made on the effect of the inhibitors indole, thiosemicarbazide, and thioacetamide on the surface of mild steel in hydrochloric acid. The ellipsometric results for most solutions of the inhibitors tested showed that during the first few minutes of immersion stimulation of corrosion took place. Evidence for this was also found from weight loss and electrochemical data as well as from microscopic observations. The presence up to ∼5 nm of indole on the metal surface was detected during cathodic polarisation, much of which desorbs when the polarisation is removed.