An experimental and theoretical investigation on adsorption properties of some diphenolic Schiff bases as corrosion inhibitors at acidic solution/mild steel interface

The effect of novel synthesized three Schiff bases, namely, 1,3-bis[2-(2-hydroxy benzylidenamino) phenoxy] propane (P1), 1,3-bis[2-(5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzylidenamino) phenoxy] propane (P2), and 1,3-bis[2-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidenamino) phenoxy] propane (P3), on the corrosion of mild steel in 0.1 M HCl was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. Polarization measurements suggest that P1 acts as mixed type inhibitor while P2 and P3 behave as mainly cathodic inhibitors for acidic corrosion of steel. All electrochemical measurements show that inhibition efficiencies increase with increase in inhibitor concentration. This reveals that inhibitive actions of inhibitors were mainly due to adsorption on steel surface. Adsorption of these inhibitors follows Temkin adsorption isotherm. The correlation between the adsorption ability of inhibitors and their molecular structures has been investigated using quantum chemical parameters obtained by MNDO semi-empirical method. Calculated quantum chemical parameters indicate that Schiff bases adsorbed on steel surface by chemical mechanism.