3,5-Bis(2-thienyl)-4-amino-1,2,4-triazole as a corrosion inhibitor for copper in acidic media

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate inhibition of copper corrosion by 3,5bis(2thienyl)4amino1,2,4triazole (2TAT) in 1 M HCl and 0.5 M H₂SO₄. Design/methodology/approach – Potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance measurements were carried out on copper in 1 M HCl and 0.5 M H₂SO₄ containing various concentrations of 2TAT, and the effects of temperature were also investigated. Findings – As an efficient inhibitor, 2TAT behaves better in 1 M HCl than in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. 2TAT can be classified as cathodictype corrosion inhibitor in 1 M HCl and acts as relatively mixed type in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. Activation energies in the presence and absence of 2TAT were obtained by measuring the temperature independence of corrosion current. Adsorption of the inhibitor on the copper surface was found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Practical implications – This inhibitor could have application in industries where hydrochloric acid solutions are used to remove scale and salts from copper surfaces and may render dismantling unnecessary. Originality/value – The results from this paper showed that 2TAT could be considered as a suitable inhibitor for copper in acidic media.