Investigation of corrosion inhibition mechanism and stability of Vitamin B1 on mild steel in 0.5 M HCl solution

•Vitamine B1 inhibits corrosion of mild steel in 0.5 M HCl solution.•Vitamine B1 acts by reducing the rates of both anodic and cathodic reactions.•The inhibitor film is very stable at low anodic and cathodic potentials.•The corrosion mechanism is charge transfer controlled.•The adsorption of Vitamine B1 is the mixed type of chemical and physical interactions.

The corrosion inhibition mechanism and the stability of Vitamin B1 (VitB1) on mild steel in 0.5 M HCl solution were investigated. Surface of the steel after exposing to test solutions were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The stability of the inhibitor film was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), chronoamperometry (CA), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. It was found that VitB1 acts by adsorption on mild steel via physical and chemical interactions and a protective film formation. The inhibitor film evenly distributes over the steel surface and is stable.

Graphical abstractThe adsorption and corrosion inhibition mechanism of Vitamin B1 on mild steel in 0.5 M HCl solution were studied using electrochemical, spectroscopic, and microscopic techniques. The studied organic compound acts by adsorption on the metal surface via physical and chemical interactions, which reduces both anodic and cathodic reactions. The inhibitor film evenly distributes over the steel surface and is stable.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide