A review of amino acids used as corrosion inhibitors on iron metal/alloys in aggressive environments

Abstract

Research into the use of safe and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors can pave the way for an understanding of their inhibition mechanisms in metallic alloy materials. This review seeks to present and discuss the research work reported in the literature on the use of amino acids and their derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for iron and its alloys in different aggressive solutions. This non-toxic, biodegradable and relatively cheap corrosion inhibitor has shown to be efficient as an inhibitor for metals/alloys in acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions depending on experimental conditions. Electrochemical and surface techniques were among the most often used techniques to evaluate the corrosion inhibition efficiency of amino acids. Highest values of inhibition efficiency can be obtained in the presence of ions as Iand Br. This review presents and discusses most of the contributions made in literature on the use of amino acids and their derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for iron and its alloys.