Corrosion Inhibition and Adsorption Behavior of Punica granatum Extract on Mild Steel in Acidic Environments: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

The adsorption and corrosion inhibiting effect of aqueous extracts of Punica granatum (PNG) on mild steel in 1 M HCl and 0.5 M H2SO4 at 30 +/- 1 degrees C was investigated using gravimetric, electrochemical impedance. spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The experimental findings revealed that PNG inhibited the corrosion reaction in both acid environments. Impedance results indicate that the extract organic matter was adsorbed on the metal/solution interface, While polarization data show that the extract behaved mostly as a mixed-type inhibitor. A theoretical study of the adsorption behavior of some of the components of the crude extracts was carried out in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT).