Effects of Surfactant Aggregation and Adsorption on Steel Corrosion Inhibition in Salt Solution

The corrosion inhibition efficiency of mixtures of three homologous benzalkonium chlorides (BAC) surfactants was investigated using electrochemical measurements and modeling. The surface aggregation concentration (sac) and critical micelle concentration (cmc) of surfactant are useful to evaluate inhibition efficiency. A new cmc prediction model for ternary mixed homologous surfactants of interest has been developed. The model is applicable over a wide concentration range of dissolved salt in solution. The combination of the modified Langmuir adsorption model and the cmc prediction model provides a potential method for inhibition efficiency prediction of various mixed homologous surfactant systems at various dissolved salt concentrations.