Heterocyclic ionic liquids as environmentally benign corrosion inhibitors: Recent advances and future perspectives

The ionic liquids (ILs) have found a vast number of applications in diverse research and industrial areas. Due to their excellent solubility and ability to undergo coordination with metallic substrates, in recent years, the application of ILs as corrosion inhibitors has gained a huge attention. Among the organic compounds, the heterocyclic molecules have presented the most effective class of corrosion inhibitors. This chapter presents an overview of the literature on heterocyclic ILs as corrosion inhibitors. The significance of the ILs in the area from the point of view of different applications is outlined, followed by their application in corrosion inhibition and then by the significance of heterocyclic ILs as inhibitors. A comprehensive analysis of the literature is carried out from the different classes of ILs such as the pyridinium, pyridazinium, and imidazolium, and their applications in corrosion inhibition. The mechanistic details on the adsorption of the heterocyclic ILs on the metallic surfaces employing the experimental, computational studies are also presented in this review chapter. Some of the future prospects of research in this area are also explored for interested readers and researchers.