Advanced Anticorrosive Protection of Suspension Steel Cable Materials Using Protic Ionic Liquids

Abstract Urban growth and structural verticalization demand the operational reliability of vertical transportation systems, which is contingent upon the integrity of suspension steel wire ropes exposed to saline environments. The novelty of this paper lies in the investigation of the corrosion inhibition performance of the protic ionic liquid (PIL) N-methyl-2-hydroxyethylammonium oleate as a protective compound, applied via dip-coating to elevator wire ropes, as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based commercial formulations. Mechanical integrity and surface morphology were assessed through tensile testing of strands alongside comparative analysis between the PIL-based inhibitor and a commercial benchmark. Experimental results indicate that an 8% m-2HEA[OL] PIL solution provides corrosion inhibition and surface preservation while maintaining maximum load resistance equivalent to the commercial standard. Therefore, the 8% m-2HEA[OL] PIL formulation serves as a technically viable alternative for the protection of steel cables in corrosive atmospheres. The m-2HEA[OL], synthesized from a fatty acid and an amine, may serve as a viable alternative to commercially available protective agents derived from petroleum. The PIL exhibited a more noble corrosion potential and a corrosion inhibition mechanism associated with a less structurally damaging corrosion morphology.