Self-assembled nanofilm of 1,2-dihydro-3-(octadecylthio)benzotriazine on copper for corrosion protection

Abstract

The self-assembled nanofilm of 1,2-dihydro-3-(octadecylthio)benzotriazine (DOTBT) was formed on fresh copper surface obtained by etching with 7 N nitric acid at a room temperature of 30°C. The conditions for formation of the DOTBT nanofilm have been optimized by electrochemical impedance and electrochemical quartz crystal nanobalance (EQCN) studies. The DOTBT nanofilm on copper surface was characterized by contact-angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), reflection absorption FTIR spectra and atomic force micrographs (AFM). It is inferred that formation of DOTBT film is due to chemisorption of DOTBT on copper surface through nitrogen and subsequent complex formation between DOTBT and Cu+ ions. Corrosion protection ability of DOTBT nanofilm was evaluated in dilute aqueous NaCl solution using electrochemical impedance, potentiodynamic polarization, weight-loss and XPS studies. These studies inferred that the DOTBT film protects effectively copper from corrosion. Potentiodynamic polarization studies revealed that the DOTBT film inhibits corrosion by controlling the cathodic reaction. The mechanism of corrosion protection of copper by DOTBT nanofilm is discussed in this paper.