The first electrochemical and surface analysis of 2-aminobenzimidazole as a corrosion inhibitor for copper in chloride solution

Abstract

For the first time, 2-aminobenzimidazole (2-ABI) was tested as a corrosion inhibitor for copper in 3 wt% NaCl solution at 25 °C using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronopotentiometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic curve (PD) techniques. The EIS measurements indicated that the corrosion of Cu in the presence of 2-ABI followed kinetic- and diffusion-controlled processes. After 100 h of immersion, the potentiodynamic curves showed that 2-ABI acts as a mixed-type inhibitor, with a predominant action on the anodic corrosion reaction. ATR-FTIR confirmed the adsorption of 2-ABI on the Cu surface, which resulted in increased hydrophobicity of the copper surface and reduced its surface roughness.