Anticorrosive Effect of PVP 40000 Against AISI 1020 Carbon Steel in HCl

Polymers have received considerable attention for replacing synthetic inorganic and organic anti-corrosion inhibitors since they are not as toxic for the environment, besides being cheaper. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) has been studied due to its applicability, solubility, very low toxicity, cost and efficiency in corrosion inhibition against metals, such as zinc, aluminum, stainless steel, and others. Its anti-corrosion activity with 40000 g mol-1 was tested against AISI 1020 carbon steel in 0.5 mol L-1 HCl, and evaluated by electrochemical techniques: Potentiodynamic Polarization (PP), Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The maximum efficiency was 90% and 89% in EIS and LPR, respectively, at concentration of 1.0 x 10-7 mol L-1. The adsorption mechanism was coherent with Langmuir isotherm model. The morphology of the corroding carbon steel surface, in the presence and absence of the PVP, was visualized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).