Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract as effective eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor in a hydrochloric acid pickling medium for carbon steel by using both experimental and theoretical studies.

The present study focuses on an environmental approach based on the use of an eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor from the Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract for enhancement corrosion resistance of carbon steel (C-S) in acid medium as an alternative to various organic and non-organic chemical inhibitors. The evaluation of the inhibition properties of the fruit methanolic extract of Citrullus colocynthis (CCE) were performed in molar hydrochloric acid (1 M HCl) medium using gravimetric and electrochemical (potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance) techniques as well as surface analyses. CCE is rich in amino acids, mainly citrulline and β-(pyrazo-1-yl)-L-analine molecules. Based on the weight loss evaluation, the results demonstrated that this plant extract acts as an effective corrosion inhibitor and a protection level of 93.6% was attained at 500 ppm of CCE after 6 h of metal exposure at 303 K. According to polarization curves, CCE functions as a mixed-type inhibitor. In addition, AC impedance analyses have shown that the incorporation of CCE into the corrosive solution leads to a decrease in load capacity, while improving the charge/discharge function at the interface. This suggests the possibility of the formation of an adsorbed layer on the C-S surface. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation, contact angle measurements, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses supported the development of a protective film over CS substrate surface afterwards addition of CCE. Langmuir and/or Temkin isotherms can be used to characterize the adsorption of this organic inhibitor on the C-S surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has revealed that the inhibiting effect of CCE on the corrosion of C-S in 1 M HCl solution is mainly controlled by a chemisorption process and the inhibitive layer is composed of an iron oxide/hydroxide mixture where CCE molecules are incorporated. In order to understand the relationship between the molecular structure and anti-corrosion effectiveness of these inhibitor molecules, quantum chemical studies were carried out using density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation.