Green Synthesizing and Corrosion Inhibition Characteristics of Azo Compounds on Carbon Steel under Sweet Conditions: Experimental and Theoretical Approaches

Abstract

The deterioration of carbon steel in saline solutions enriched with carbon dioxide represents a significant challenge within the oil and gas industry. So, this study focuses on the design and structural analysis of four azo derivatives: 4-(2quinolinylazo)-catechol (AZN-1), 4-(4-phenoxyphenylazo)-1-naphthol (AZN-2), 4-(4-pyridylazo)-1-naphthol (AZN-3), and 4-(2-pyridylazo)-1-naphthol (AZN-4), and their first application as effective corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in a carbon dioxide saturated 3.5% sodium chloride solution. Spectroscopic methods were used to characterize the structural configurations of these compounds. The corrosion protection properties of these compounds on carbon steel in a carbon dioxide saturated 3.5% sodium chloride solution (under sweet conditions) were investigated using Tafel polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) studies. The results indicate that the inhibition efficiency increases as the concentration of the inhibitors increases. There is a notable agreement between the results obtained from the PDP and EIS measurements, supporting the findings. Moreover, the results displayed that these compounds had significant corrosion protection capabilities at low concentrations, ranging from 91.0 to 98.3% at an additive concentration of 5 × 10 −4 M. The PDP profiles showed that these compounds acted as mixed inhibitors, and their adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir isotherm model. Besides, EIS results corroborate the adsorption of AZN compounds through a reduction in double-layer capacitance (C dl ) alongside an augmentation in polarization resistance (R p ) after the addition of AZN compounds into the corrosive solution. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed the formation of a protective layer on the surface of carbon steel when these inhibitors were applied. In addition, computational calculations and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to support the experimental observations, gain insights into the adsorption properties, and elucidate the corrosion inhibition mechanisms of these compounds.