Inhibition of acid corrosion of mild steel by aqueous nettle extracts

Purpose – The aim of this research was to investigate the use of aqueous extracts of nettle plant (NE) as a green corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in hydrochloric acid solution. Design/methodology/approach – The inhibition efficiency was investigated by weight loss measurements, potentiodynamic polarizations, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, SEM observations and EDX analysis. Findings – The inhibition efficiency increased with an increase in concentration of NE up to a critical concentration of 1.5×10−3 g · cm−3 where the highest inhibition efficiency of 97 percent was obtained. The adsorption of the inhibitor was spontaneous (reflected by the negative value of ΔGads0), supported the mechanism of physical adsorption and obeyed to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The inhibition action of the extracts was independent on the storage time; it could be conserved without any specific conditions of time and temperature. Research limitations/implications – The anticorrosion effect can be better understoo...