Corrosion inhibition in 2.0 M sulfuric acid solutions of high strength maraging steel by aminophenyl tetrazole as a corrosion inhibitor

Abstract

The corrosion of high strength maraging steel after varied immersion times in concentrated solution, 2.0 M, of sulfuric acid has been investigated. The work was also extended to study the effect of 5-(3-aminophenyl)-tetrazole (APTA) on the inhibition of the steel corrosion. The study has been carried out using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization and scanning electron microscope (SEM) along with energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX) investigations. EIS spectra showed that the corrosion and polarization resistances decrease with increasing the immersion time of the steel before measurement and increase in the presence of APTA and the increase of its concentration. Polarization data agreed with the EIS measurements and indicated that the increase of immersion time increases the corrosion of steel by increasing its corrosion current and corrosion rate and lowering its polarization resistance. On the other hand, the addition of APTA and the increase of its concentration minimized the corrosion of steel through decreasing the corrosion current and corrosion rate and increasing the polarization resistance at all exposure test periods. SEM and EDX investigations confirmed that the inhibition of the maraging steel in the 2.0 M H 2 SO 4 solutions is achieved via the adsorption of the APTA molecules onto the steel protecting its surface from being dissolved easily. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.