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Four novel non-ionic ethoxylated fatty alkyl amine surfactants (I–IV) were synthesised and investigated as corrosion inhibitors of carbon steel in 1 M hydrochloric acid solution using gravimetric, open circuit potential and potentiostatic polarisation techniques. The percentage inhibition efficiency (η%) for each inhibitor increased with increasing concentration until the critical micelle concentration (cmc) was reached. The maximum inhibition efficiency approached 95.1% in the presence of 400 ppm of the inhibitor (IV). It was found that the adsorption of the surfactants on carbon steel followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Potentiostatic polarisation data indicated that these surfactants act as mixed type inhibitors. The values of activation energy ( E a*) of carbon steel dissolution in 1 M HCl were calculated in the absence and presence of 400 ppm of each inhibitor. Finally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the surface morphology of polished carbon steel surfaces and those immersed in 1 M HCl in the absence and presence of 400 ppm of inhibitor (IV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]