Electrochemical Study on Corrosion Inhibition of Copper in Hydrochloric Acid Medium and the Rotating Ring-Disc Voltammetry for Studying the Dissolution

Dissolution characteristics of copper in hydrochloric acid medium and the effect of 4-amino 1,2,4-triazole (ATA) on the corrosion process have been studied using conventional electrochemical techniques and rotating ring-disc electrodes (RRDEs). Corrosion potential (corr) and corrosion current density (corr) were obtained by Tafel extrapolation methods. Charge transfer resistance (ct) and double-layer capacitance (dl) were obtained from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). ATA was shown to be an effective inhibitor for the copper-corrosion inhibition in acid medium. The corrosion rate was retarded in presence of inhibitors mainly because of the adsorption of the inhibitor on the electrode surface. Adsorption of the inhibitor on the metal surface was found to follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Standard free energy change of the adsorption process (Δ0ad) was calculated to be −54.3 kJ mol−1; such a large negative value of Δ0ad suggests the prescence of a chemisorption process