Density functional theory (DFT) as a powerful tool for designing new organic corrosion inhibitors. Part 1: An overview

The use of computational chemistry as a tool in the design and development of organic corrosion inhibitors has been greatly enhanced by the development of density functional theory (DFT). Whereas, traditionally, corrosion scientists have identified new corrosion inhibitor molecules either by incrementally changing the structures of existing inhibitors or by testing hundreds of compounds in the laboratory, these experimental means are often very expensive and time-consuming. Thus, ongoing hardware and software advances have opened the door for powerful use of theoretical chemistry in corrosion inhibition research at a reduced cost. DFT has enabled corrosion scientist to accurately predict the inhibition efficacies of organic corrosion inhibitors based on electronic/molecular properties and reactivity indices. This review summarizes the main features of DFT, giving a brief background to selected DFT-based chemical reactivity concepts, calculations and their applications to organic corrosion inhibitor design. The paper also reviews the principles upon which modern corrosion science is based with emphasis on corrosion in the oil and gas industry and with the goal of identifying important issues in the design of new, more effective inhibitors in this field. The impact of this review is to illustrate the enormous power of DFT and to identify shortcomings in past work, including the assumption that inhibitors only interact with bare metal surfaces.