Acid corrosion inhibition, time dependence

Acid attack, propagation of wormholes, 619 Acid corrosion inhibition, time dependence, 644... 

Adsorption versus Polymerization. It is instructive to examine further the time dependence of the corrosion inhibition. In acid corrosion inhibition tests, steady state is customarily assumed to be reached within 10 to 20 min after initial exposure of the metal specimen. Since the inhibitors function by reducing the available active surface area, we expect an increase in and a corresponding decrease in P. The degree of corrosion protection the inhibitor provides is given by... 

This last effect may be an indication of adsorption of a small impurity in the electrolyte. The inhibited corrosion rates decrease with time and become essentially constant after about two hours. These slopes are not dependent on scan rate or on corrosion rate. The most interesting effect is observed when the inhibited hydrochloric acid solution is aerated the anodic Tafel slope increases while the cathodic Tafel slope decreases dramatically. As would have been expected from the resistance probe measurement the corrosion rate in the aerated inhibitor solution increases. 

---