5-Naphthylazo-8-hydroxyquinoline (5NA8HQ) as a novel corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in hydrochloric acid solution

In this study, 5-naphthylazo-8-hydroxyquinoline (5NA8HQ) was synthesized, characterized, and tested as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 1 M HCl solution in the temperature range 20 to 50 °C. Weight-loss and potentiodynamic polarization measurements were used to analyse the corrosion behaviour of the metal in the absence and presence of different concentrations of the inhibitor. Analyses of surface film and inhibited solutions by FT-IR and UV–visible spectroscopy enabled us to clarify aspects of the inhibition mechanism. Further examination using X-ray diffraction confirmed the action of 5NA8HQ as an effective inhibitor of corrosion of mild steel in acidic media. The results obtained showed that this compound was a good inhibitor of corrosion. The inhibition is of mixed anodic–cathodic nature with predominance of anodic character. The Langmuir isotherm was found to accurately describe the adsorption behaviour of 5NA8HQ. Spectrophotometric analysis showed the formation of a layer at the surface of the corroded sample; this was interpreted as formation of complexes between 5NA8HQ and metal cations present in the steel structure.