Synergistic inhibition between o-phenanthroline and chloride ion for steel corrosion in sulphuric acid

Abstract The corrosion inhibition of cold rolled steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid in the presence of o -phenanthroline and sodium chloride (NaCl) has been investigated by using weight loss and electrochemical techniques. The experimental data suggest that the inhibition efficiency increases with increasing NaCl concentration in the presence of 0.0002 M o -phenanthroline, but decreases with increasing temperature. A synergistic effect is observed when o -phenanthroline and chloride ions are used together to prevent cold rolled steel corrosion in 0.5 M sulphuric acid. The polarization curves showed that the complex of o -phenanthroline and NaCl acts as a mixed type inhibitor. The experimental results suggested that the presence of chloride ions in the solution stabilized the adsorption of o -phenanthroline molecules on the metal surface and improved the inhibition efficiency of o -phenanthroline. The adsorption of the complex accords with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Some thermodynamic parameters such as adsorption heat, adsorption entropy and adsorption free energy have been calculated by employing thermodynamic equations. Kinetic parameters such as apparent activation energy and pre-exponential factor have been calculated and discussed.