The inhibition efficiency derivative imidazole, 2-mercapto-5,5-diphenyl-3,5-dihydro-4 H-imidazol-4-one (AM0), against corrosion in a hydrochloric acid (HCl) environment was studied. The research focused on the compound's ability to adsorb onto mild steel surfaces. Various experimental techniques, including potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM), and impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were employed to analyze the inhibitory effects. Results showed that the effectiveness of AM0 increased with concentration, reaching an inhibitory efficiency of 95.1 %. Polarization studies revealed that the inhibitor displayed mixed-type behavior. The adsorption process was modeled using the Langmuir adsorption model. Surface characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were utilized to examine the inhibited corrosion surfaces. Theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) and density functional tight binding (DFTB) suggested that inhibitors with electron-accepting capabilities exhibited strong interactions with the iron surface, shedding light on specific bond formations that contribute to the stability and interaction dynamics at the molecular interface. This study provides valuable information on the corrosion inhibition potential of the new imidazole compound, offering important pointers for the development of effective corrosion inhibitors in acidic environments.
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