Abstract
The inhibition effect of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) on the corrosion of carbon steel in 1 M HCl was studied by weight loss, polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The results showed that sildenafil citrate is a good corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in acidic media and acts as mixed type (cathodic/anodic) inhibitor. The adsorption of the inhibitor was well described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Some thermodynamic parameters such as adsorption heat, adsorption entropy, and adsorption free energy were calculated. Kinetic parameters such as the apparent activation energy and pre-exponential factor were calculated and discussed.
Graphical abstract