Anticorrosive Properties of Green Silver Nanoparticles to Prevent Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion on Copper in the Marine Environment

Microbiologically influenced corrosion is a global problem especially materials used in marine engineering. In that respect, inhibitors are widely used to control fouling and corrosion in marine systems. Most techniques used in inhibitor production are expensive and considered hazardous to the ecosystem. Therefore, scientists are motivated to explore natsural and green products as potent corrosion inhibitors especially in nano size. In this study, antibacterial and anticorrosive properties of green silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were studied through weight loss, electrochemical characterization, and surface analysis techniques. The corrosion of copper (Cu) in artificial seawater (ASW), Halomonas variabilis (H. variabilis) NOSK, and H. variabilis + AgNPs was monitored using electrochemical measurements like open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic polarization curves. AgNPs showed excellent antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms. Electrochemical studies demonstrate a noticeable decrease in OCP and current density in ASW containing H. variabilis + AgNPs compared to both ASW and ASW inoculated with bacterium, which confirmed the decrease of corrosion rate of copper. Furthermore, the obtained voltammograms show that the silver nanoparticles were adsorbed on the copper electrode surface from the corrosion solution. Thus, the results prove that the novel idea of green silver nanoparticles acts as an anticorrosive film in the marine environment.