Investigations of corrosion inhibition of ethanolic extract of Dillenia suffruticosa leaves as a green corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in hydrochloric acid medium

Abstract

The utilization of plant extracts as environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors has garnered considerable interest in the field of metallic corrosion protection. The primary objective of this study was to explore a new approach for utilizing Dillenia suffruticosa leaves extract (DSLE) to provide corrosion protection for mild steel (MS) in a molar hydrochloric acid solution. The phytocompounds responsible for corrosion prevention were extracted using ethanol with Soxhlet apparatus. The effectiveness of the extract as a corrosion inhibitor was evaluated through gravimetric and electrochemical methods, along with surface analysis of the corroded steel samples. This analysis involved the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to examine the specimens with and without addition of the extract as inhibitor. The findings demonstrate that DSLE exhibits notable efficacy as a corrosion inhibitor for MS in an acidic environment. The inhibition efficiency (IE) demonstrates a positive correlation with the concentration of the extract, ultimately reaching a maximum value of 81.4 % at the optimum concentration of 1000 mg/L of the extract investigated. Potentiodynamic polarization data revealed that the DSLE functions as a mixed-type inhibitor.