Corrosion inhibition performance of newly synthesized 5-alkoxymethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives for carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution: experimental, DFT and Monte Carlo simulation studies

Three new organic compounds primarily based on 8-hydroxyquinoline have been successfully synthesized and characterized via different spectroscopic methods (FTIR, 1H, and 13C NMR). The synthesized compounds, namely 5-propoxymethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline (PMHQ), 5-methoxymethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline (MMHQ) and 5-hydroxymethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline (HMHQ), were evaluated as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization and weight loss measurements at 298 K. Electrochemical measurements confirmed that the newly synthesized 5-alkoxymethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives are mixed type corrosion inhibitors and confirmed maximum protection efficiencies of 94, 89 and 81% for PMHQ, MMHQ, and HMHQ, respectively, at the optimum concentration of 10-3 M. The EIS spectra confirmed a slightly depressed semi-circle profile with a single time constant in Bode diagrams for the three organic compounds over the whole concentration and temperature ranges studied. The adsorption of PMHQ, MMHQ, and HMHQ on the carbon steel surface followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. In addition, the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for carbon steel corrosion and inhibitor adsorption, respectively, were determined and discussed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses supported the formation of a protective film on carbon steel in the presence of PMHQ, MMHQ, and HMHQ. Density functional theory calculations (DFT) showed that the effectiveness of the inhibitive actions of the studied compounds correlates well with their electron donating ability, whilst Monte Carlo simulations revealed that the extent and favourability of adsorption of inhibitor molecules on the carbon steel surface establish their corrosion inhibition performances.