Evaluation of impedance measurements on mild steel corrosion in acid media in the presence of heterocyclic compounds

Five heterocyclic compounds, having a five atom ring, fused with the benzene ring (indole, benzimidazole, benzotriazole, benzothiazole and benzothiadiazole) were investigated as corrosion inhibitors of mild steel in 1 N HCl using impedance and polarisation resistance methods. Four of these compounds exhibit inhibition properties, while one of them, benzothiadiazole, stimulates the corrosion process. Adequate structure models of the interface are offered. The experimental data show a frequency distribution and therefore a modelling element with frequency dispersion behaviour, a constant phase element (CPE) has been used. At high inhibitor concentrations a second time constant is observed in the impedance spectra. The values of the polarisation resistance determined by the polarisation resistance method are well correlated with the sum of the separate resistances from the impedance measurements.