Synthesis, characterization and anticorrosion potentials of chitosan-g-PEG assembled on silver nanoparticles

Chitosan (Ch) grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (Ch-g-mPEG) were synthesized using mPEG with molecular weights 2000 g/mol. The synthesized Ch-g-mPEG was characterized using gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Ch-g-mPEG silver nanoparticles has been synthesized and characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX). The synthesized Ch-g-mPEG and its nanostructure were examined as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The results revealed that the inhibition efficiency obtained by Ch-g-mPEG self-assembled on silver nanoparticles is greater than that obtained by Ch-g-mPEG only. Potentiodynamic polarization results reveal that the synthesized compound could be classified as mixed-type corrosion inhibitors with predominant control of the cathodic reaction. The results of EIS indicate that the both charge transfer resistance and inhibition efficiency tend to increase by increasing the inhibitor concentration.