The electrochemical behavior of low-carbon steel in 0.10 mol L-1 KNO3 aqueous solutions and 0.10 mol L-1 tetraethyl ammonium chloride ethanolic solutions was studied in absence and with different concentrations of linalyl acetate (LA). Electrochemical techniques such as potentiometry, cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used in order to comprehend the interaction between the organic compound and electrode surface. Experiments involving weight loss measurements were performed. LA adsorbs on the low-carbon steel surface even in the presence of a large amount of water or ethanol. The adsorption energy for this process was -25.98 kJ mol-1 for aqueous solutions and -26.71 kJ mol-1 for ethanolic solutions. It was also detected that the adsorbed species on metal surface decreases the anodic current density values as well as the weight loss of the metal species. This effect allows us to classify the linalyl acetate as a green corrosion inhibitor of low-carbon steel in aqueous and ethanol medium.
low-carbon steel; adsorption; corrosion; linalyl acetate; polarization
