Exploration of UV-induced geometrical isomer-enriched Helichrysum kraussii extract as a corrosion inhibitor for Al(111) surface in 1.0 M hydrochloric acid: An experimental and theoretical study

This study evaluated UV-radiated Helichrysum kraussii (H. kraussii) extract for its corrosion inhibition on aluminium in 1.0 M HCl. To achieve this, techniques such as Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Gravimetric analysis, electrochemical analysis looking at electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), contact angle and computational studies were used. The results obtained from these techniques made it possible to conclude the performance of UV-radiated H. kraussii as a corrosion inhibitor for aluminium metal. LC-MS and FTIR proved that the exposure of extract to UV radiation caused a change in the composition of extract metabolites, demonstrated by the increase in the number of peaks in the chromatogram and the shift in the FTIR spectrum. Weight loss technique showed that the extract inhibited the corrosion of aluminium with the maximum percentage inhibition of 84.6948 % at the concentration of 1500 ppm at 30 °C. The adsorption of the inhibitor molecules on the metal surface was found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, and the activation energy values proved that the adsorption mechanism was through physisorption. Nyquist plots semi-circles were found to increase with an increase in the extract concentration, showing an increase in the inhibition efficiency. Tafel's plot showed that both anodic and cathodic corrosion were inhibited. The DFT/PBE/GGA/DNP computational investigation obtained binding energies of the inhibitors on the aluminium surface that suggest that the Al···FA interaction happens through physical adsorption.