Combined Electrochemical, Raman Analysis and Machine Learning Assessments of the Inhibitive Properties of an 1,3,4-Oxadiazole-2-Thiol Derivative against Carbon Steel Corrosion in HCl Solution

The inhibiting properties of 5-(4-pyridyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (PyODT) on the corrosion of carbon steel in 1.0 M HCl solution were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX analysis. An approach based on machine learning algorithms and Raman data was also applied to follow the carbon steel degradation in different experimental conditions. The electrochemical measurements revealed that PyODT behaves as a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor, reaching an efficiency of about 93.1% at a concentration of 5 mM, after 1 h exposure to 1.0 M HCl solution. Due to the molecular adsorption and structural organization of PyODT molecules on the C-steel surface, higher inhibitive effectiveness of about 97% was obtained at 24 h immersion. The surface analysis showed a significantly reduced degradation state of the carbon steel surface in the presence of PyODT due to the inhibitor adsorption revealed by Raman spectroscopy and the presence of N and S atoms in the EDX spectra. The combination of Raman spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms was proved to be a facile and reliable tool for an incipient identification of the corrosion sites on a metallic surface exposed to corrosive environments.