2-Mercaptobenzothiazole monolayers on zinc and silver surfaces for anticorrosion

Anticorrosive behaviors of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silver and zinc electrodes were comparatively studied by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The promising inhibition effect of the MBT for silver and zinc from corrosion had been confirmed. The adsorption geometries of MBT monolayers on zinc and silver electrodes were observed by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. The SERS spectra implied that monolayers of MBT could be self-assembled on Ag surface through S10 and N3 atoms and the molecular plane should be tilted with respect to the surface. On Zn surface, MBT molecules formed monolayers via both S atoms and the other moieties of the molecule away from the surface. From the in situ electrochemical SERS results it can be found that MBT monolayers on both Ag and Zn surfaces experienced the changes of adsorption fashions as the potential shifting to more negative direction.