Inhibitor efficiency of a novel imidazole-based inhibitor for Q235 carbon steel exposed to acidic environments

Steel corrosion in the acidic environments poses considerable economic losses and waste of resources. A novel imidazole-based inhibitor was synthesized, and its anti-corrosion performance on Q235 steel were evaluated in 1 M HCl solution. The results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and dynamic potential polarization showed that the inhibition efficiencies were more than 97.9 % when the concentration of the IM-M was 300 mg/L. Density functional theory identified the active sites sitting on the imidazole rings and hydrophilic groups of the inhibitor. Molecular dynamics revealed adsorption promotion by the active site preference and the alkyl chain hydrophobicity.