Preparation and performance of a new silylated functional carbon quantum dots corrosion inhibitor

Adding green corrosion inhibitors to prevent the pickling process is critical to both corrosion of carbon steel and its environmental protection. Carbon quantum dots(CDs) corrosion inhibitors prepared using a hydrothermal method are considered promising candidates for carbon steel corrosion protection. Here, a new high-efficiency silylated functional carbon quantum dot (CDCA-Si-Pei) was prepared by hydrothermal method and evaluated for its corrosion inhibition performance as a corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in hydrochloric acid solution (1 M HCl). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the surface roughness of carbon steel treated with CDCA-Si-Pei was significantly reduced, the surface was free of corrosion products, and the adsorption mechanism of CDCA-Si-Pei was chemical and physical co-adsorption. The experimental results show that CDCA-Si-Pei is a highly efficient and stable inhibitor with obvious anti-corrosion effects, especially at a concentration of 10 mg/L and its corrosion inhibition rate of 96.34 % and 94.79 % after three months of placement.