Effect of electron donating functional groups on corrosion inhibition of J55 steel in a sweet corrosive environment: Experimental, density functional theory, and molecular dynamic simulation

Benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized, characterized, and tested as a corrosion inhibitor for J55 steel in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution saturated with carbon dioxide. The experimental results revealed that inhibitors are effective for steel protection, with an inhibition efficiency of 94% in the presence of 400 mg/L of inhibitor. The adsorption of the benzimidazole derivatives on J55 steel was found to obey Langmuir's adsorption isotherm. The addition of inhibitors decreases the cathodic as well anodic current densities and significantly strengthens impedance parameters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used for steel surface characterization. Density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamic simulation (MD) were applied for theoretical studies.