Pitting corrosion and effect of Euphorbia echinus extract on the corrosion behavior of AISI 321 stainless steel in chlorinated acid

Stainless steel (SS) is a very corrosion-resistant alloy used in different industrial plants because of its chemical and mechanical properties. However, the high chloride concentration in sulfuric acid (H2SO4) may promote both general corrosion and pitting corrosion. The pitting corrosion susceptibility in SS in chlorinated H2SO4 and the effect of Euphorbia echinus extract (EEE) on both general corrosion and pitting corrosion have been studied using potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry, cyclic voltammetry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The pitting potential has been found to shift slightly in the presence of chloride ions (Cl−) in H2SO4. Also, pitting corrosion initiation has been demonstrated in the recorded chronoamperograms as a linear straight line having a positive slope. EEE has reduced the general corrosion and the inhibitor adsorption was found to follow the Langmuir isotherm. SEM micrographs showed that the tested inhibitor has efficiently acted on pitting corrosion for different concentrations of Cl−. Also, the kinetic findings were in good agreement with the surface analysis data. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrophotometric measurements provided more insights on the interaction between the chemical functional groups of the inhibitor and the SS surface.