Metal corrosion inhibition by triazoles: A review

Abstract

Metal corrosion and the prospects of inhibiting this process have received much interest from society and scientific research. The annual global cost of corrosion is $2.5 trillion, equivalent to roughly 3.4% of the world’s gross domestic product. Implementing corrosion prevention best practices could result in global savings of 15–35% of that cost. Numerous studies were documented and dedicated on the triazole nucleus based compounds as fascinating corrosion inhibitors of various metals in hostile media. Their unique electronic structure possessing conjugated π and unshared pairs of electrons on the nitrogen atoms facilitates their adsorption on metal surfaces. Thus, physical and chemical interactions between the active centers of triazoles and d-orbitals of metallic materials occur to form a film on the surface. The nature of inhibitor activity is disclosed through polarization studies (cathodic, anodic or mixed-type). The range of various substituents on the triazole ring offers a vast array of inhibitory effects. temperature and inhibitor concentration effects must also be regarded when evaluating the corrosion activation and adsorption parameters supported further by the quantum chemical parameters such as DFT and molecular dynamics simulations. In this review, we looked through several instances of the use of distinct substituted triazole nucleus based compounds as significant corrosion inhibitors for different metals in various aggressive media.