Synergism between cerium nitrate and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate on corrosion of AA5052 aluminium alloy in 3 wt.% NaCl solution

•Effectively prevent corrosion of AA5052 alloy by using the mixture of cerium nitrate and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate.•Synergistic mechanism of the combination of cerium nitrate and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate.•Structure of the complex formed between cerium ions and dodecylbenzenesulfonate.•The optimal adsorption model of dodecylbenzenesulfonate on the Al2O3 and CeO2 surface.

The synergistic inhibition effect of rare earth cerium nitrate and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS) on corrosion of AA5052 aluminium alloy in 3 wt.% NaCl solution was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization curve, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results show that the single cerium nitrate or DBS has a limited inhibition effect against corrosion of AA5052 alloy. The combination cerium ions with DBS produced strong synergistic effect on corrosion inhibition for AA5052 alloy and rendered a negaitve shift of the corrosion potential. The formation of the complex of Al(DBS)3 and Ce(DBS)3 stabilized the passive film of Al2O3 and CeO2, retarding both the cathodic and anodic processes of AA5052 alloy corrosion reaction significantly.