(S)‑6‑Phenyl‑2,3,5,6‑tetrahydroimidazo[2,1‑b] thiazole hydrochloride as corrosion inhibitor of steel in acidic solution: Gravimetrical, electrochemical, surface morphology and theoretical simulation

A study on the corrosion inhibition of N80 steel in 0.5 M HCl acid with ( S )‑ 6 ‑ Phenyl ‑ 2 , 3 , 5 , 6 ‑ tetrahydroimidazo [ 2 , 1 ‑ b ] thiazole was undertaken by conducting electrochemical, weight loss, surface morphology , and FTIR measurements. The inhibition efficiency was found to exceed 95%. An excellent inhibitor performance was attained when a spontaneous layer was formed and adsorbed chemically on the surface of steel. The adsorption of inhibitor followed Langmuir adsorption isotherm . Meanwhile, the inhibitor was categorized as a mixed – type one. FTIR and surface morphology analysis was conducted to validate the results, whereas quantum chemical calculation was applied for justifying the inhibition process.