Evaluation on corrosion mitigation capabilities of nitrogen doped carbon dots as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in descaling solution

The article represents a mechanistic and detailed evaluation of synthesized novel nitrogen doped carbon dots (NCDs) as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in 15 % HCl solution. The investigation reflects the synergistic adsorption and corrosion inhibition capabilities of N-CDs. The investigation reflects that the N-CDs display efficient corrosion inhibition of 93.09 % efficiency for a dosage of 350 ppm. The N-CDs adsorb upon the metallic substrate surface to generate a protective layer at the metal solution interface and thereby protect it from the aggressive electrolyte. The electrochemical analyses confirm that the N-CDs behave as mixed type corrosion inhibitors and protect both anodic and cathodic sites of corrosion. The protective film was chemically analyzed through XPS analysis which confirms the inorganic/organic, hybrid nature of the protective film.