Electropolymerization of carvacrol on mild steel surfaces: a coating for corrosion protection in 0.1 M NaCl

Steels find extensive use and applications across various industries thanks to their manifold properties. However, they remain sensitive to corrosion in aggressive environments like salt water. While traditionally used corrosion inhibitors exhibit toxicity and environmental impact, the present work aims to develop an eco-friendly and efficient approach for the protection of mild steel against corrosion in a 0.1 M NaCl medium by the electropolymerization of carvacrol (Carv). Potentiodynamic and potentiostatic techniques were employed to synthesize films of polycarvacrol (polyCarv) on the steel electrode in an ethanolic alkaline solution. The uniform and covering morphology of these films was characterized by digital microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the composition was analysed by ATR-FTIR. The good anticorrosion efficiency of the electropolymerized films formed was evaluated in 0.1 M NaCl using impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization measurements.