Corrosion resistance of high-level-hydrophobic layers in combination with Vitamin E - (α-tocopherol) as green inhibitor

Modifications of Cu and Cu40Zn surfaces were achieved by their immersions in ethanol solutions of Stearic acid with and without the additions of Vitamin E. The surface morphologies, wettability, and corrosion resistance were characterised by means of SEM, water contact-angle, potentiodynamic measurements and EIS. The corrosive media was artificially prepared acid rain at 25 degrees C. Significant increase in the contact angle indicated that the biomimetic morphology effectively repelled water from the metal surface. Electrochemical measurements indicated that Vitamin E additionally improved the inhibitory properties of the as-prepared hydrophobic layer against corrosion. The inhibitive effectiveness increased to more than 99%. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.