Chalcones as Environmentally-Friendly Corrosion Inhibitors for Stainless Steel Type 304 in 1 M HCl Solutions

The effect of Chalcones on the corrosion behavior of stainless steel type 304 in 1 M HCl solution has been investigated using weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM) techniques. The objective was to assess the inhibition efficiency of Chalcones as environmentally friendly inhibitors. The results indicated that the inhibition efficiency increased with the increase in inhibitor concentration but decreased with the rise in temperature. Thermodynamic parameters of corrosion and adsorption processes were calculated, and the adsorption of these inhibitors was found to comply with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Potentiodynamic polarization measurements revealed that the inhibitors are of mixed type. Additionally, the morphology of inhibited stainless steel type 304 was examined using scanning electron microscope technology coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). Electrochemical impedance results showed a decrease in double layer capacitance and an increase in charge transfer resistance in the presence of Chalcones. The findings obtained from the different techniques were consistent. Furthermore, quantum structure-activity relationships were employed to explore the effect of molecular structure on the inhibition efficiency of the studied inhibitors.