Abstract
In this paper we report on the corrosion inhibition of cast iron in Arabian Gulf seawater by two different ionic liquids namely, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([EMIm]Cl) and 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium chloride ([Py-1,Py-4]Cl). The inhibiting influence of the employed ionic liquids was investigated by weight loss, open circuit potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization. The results show the corrosion inhibition impact of the employed ionic liquids (ILs). Compared with [Py-1,Py-4]Cl, [EMIm]Cl shows a higher inhibition efficiency at a short immersion time, for the examined ILs concentrations. However, [Py-1,Py-4]Cl exhibits a higher efficiency upon increasing the immersion time indicating the persistence of the inhibiting influence. The corrosion inhibition of the employed ionic liquids is attributed to the adsorption of the cations of the ionic liquids onto the surface of cast iron forming a corrosion barrier.