Technical Note: Photoelectrochemical Study of Inorganic Inhibitor Films Formed on Mild Steel in Aerated Municipal Water

Abstract Photoelectrochemistry was used to study the inhibited films that formed on mild steel in aerated municipal water. Tests included three types of inorganic inhibitors that contained as active ingredients either molybdate, nitrite, or zinc salt-phosphate compounds. Each inhibited system exhibited a unique photospectrum and a unique photocurrent-voltage response. It was postulated that the three types of inhibitors formed three different barrier films on the mild steel immersed in municipal water.