Corrosion Inhibition Performance of Acarbose on Mild Steel Corrosion in Acidic Medium: An Experimental and Computational Study

Acarbose was investigated for the first time as a green inhibitor of mild steel corrosion in 1.0 M HCl using theoretical and experimental techniques. Acarbose was seen to act as a mixed type of inhibitor from polarization studies. Activation and thermodynamic parameters and their effect on inhibition efficiency are reported. Langmuir adsorption isotherm was obeyed as a result of adsorption of inhibitor on metal surface. Computational calculations, i.e., molecular dynamic simulations and density functional theory, were used to acquire detailed theoretical insights. Appreciable inhibition efficiency was obtained from all the combined results. A maximum inhibition efficiency of 96% was recorded at 4000 ppm at 298 K. SEM and AFM techniques were performed for morphological and topographical studies.