Surfactant modified graphene oxide as novel corrosion inhibitors for mild steels in acidic media

Abstract Graphene derivatives have received significant attention as excellent anti-corrosion coating materials, but their application as corrosion inhibitors in the aqueous medium is restricted due to poor solubility. Chemical Functionalization is one of the essential methods to improve solubility and corrosion inhibition performance. In present work, two novel surfactant modified graphene oxide (GO) derivatives were designed, and their corrosion inhibition performance on mild steel corrosion was assessed for the first time in standard 1M HCl with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) methods. The results of electrochemical studies indicated that both the inhibitors retard corrosion by adsorption mechanism. The PDP studies showed that both the inhibitors are mixed type. The adsorption of these compounds on the metal surface was confirmed by Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) methods.