A novel green corrosion inhibitor based on task-specific benzimidazolium ionic liquid for carbon steel in HCl

In the present study, a novel task-specific benzimidazolium ionic liquid with silyl substitution was synthesised and successfully introduced as a corrosion inhibitor. The inhibitory effect of 2-benzyl-1-butyl-3-(3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazolium chloride (BTOSPB) in HCl solution on steel corrosion was evaluated by electrochemical measurement and surface studies including scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS and EDX results prove the presence of BTOSPB in the formed film on the metal surface, and its binding to the surface. Electrochemical impedance investigations indicated the prominent inhibitive performance of BTOSPB with an efficiency of 99.6%. According to the polarisation curves, BTOSPB is a mixed-type inhibitor with higher efficiency at higher temperatures and higher corrosive environment acidity. The results indicate that excellent inhibition efficiency was attained even in harsh conditions such as elevated temperature, long exposure time, and harder acidity of the solution.