Exploring of an ecological corrosion inhibitor of wood hibiscus leaf extract for the Cu/H2SO4 system based on experimental study and theoretical calculations

Abstract

BackgroundThere is beyond dispute that environmental protection and sustainable development have become the major theme in the world. It is necessary to explore an ecological corrosion inhibitor. MethodsThe corrosion inhibition performance of wood hibiscus leaves (HLE) was studied by electrochemical measurement. The bonding information and functional group of Cu after immersed in H2SO4 solution (with or without HLE), which were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS). The morphology of Cu was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The anti-corrosion mechanism of HLE on copper was investigated by theoretical calculations and Monte Carlo simulation. Significant findsThe corrosion inhibition efficiency of 160 mg/L HLE is close to 92% at 298 K, and the adsorption type belonged to Langmuir adsorption. Theoretical calculations and experimental results showed that HLE was adsorbed on copper in parallel, forming a membrane to protect copper from corrosion.