Inhibition of Q235 corrosion in sodium chloride solution by chitosan derivative and its synergistic effect with ZnO

A novel chitosan Schiff base derivative (CVZ) doped with ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) was synthesized and investigated. The corrosion protection performance was evaluated via electrochemical measurements and surface analyses. Compared to the undoped derivative (CV), the results show that the corrosion inhibition efficiency of CVZ sharply increases from 67.7 % to 99.6 %. The surface mean roughness decreases from 1.2350 μm of the blank sample to 0.7004 μm with CVZ protection. Additionally, the inhibition mechanism of the inhibitor and the synergistic effect between CV and ZnONPs were discussed. The strategy of organic/inorganic hybrid and the synergistic effect can inspire the development of chitosan as a green corrosion inhibitor with low concentration and high efficiency.