The treatment of low-carbon steel items with hydrochloric acid solutions is used in many industrial technologies. This process is accompanied not only by metal corrosion losses, but also by hydrogen absorption by the metal. In this study, the kinetics of hydrogen cathodic reduction on low-carbon steel in 2 M HCl containing corrosion inhibitors, namely, quaternary ammonium salts and a 3-substituted 1,2,4-triazole, have been studied. Adsorption isotherms of corrosion inhibitors on cathodically polarized steel surface have been obtained. XPS data provide valuable information on the composition and structure of protective layers formed on steel in HCl solutions containing inhibitors. The main rate constants of the stages of gaseous hydrogen evolution and incorporation of hydrogen atoms into the metal have been determined. The addition of quaternary ammonium salts or 3-substituted 1,2,4-triazole inhibits the cathodic reduction of hydrogen and its penetration into steel in the HCl solution. 3-substituted 1,2,4-triazole is the most efficient inhibitor of hydrogen absorption. The inhibitory effect of this compound is caused by a decrease in the ratio of the hydrogen concentration in the metal phase to the degree of surface coverage with hydrogen. The maximum decrease in hydrogen concentration in the metal bulk in the presence of the 3-substituted 1,2,4-triazole is 8.2-fold, which determines the preservation of the plastic properties of steel as it corrodes in HCl solutions. The high efficiency of the 3-substituted 1,2,4-triazole as an inhibitor of hydrogen cathodic reduction and absorption results from strong (chemical) adsorption of this compound on the steel surface and the formation of a polymolecular protective layer.

It has been shown by a set of corrosion, electrochemical and physical methods that a chamber corrosion inhibitor that consists of a mixture of octadecylamine (ODA) and benzotriazole (BTA) efficiently protects copper and brass from atmospheric corrosion and can be used for the temporary protection of metal items. The optimum temperatures of treatment with the ODA + BTA mixed inhibitor is 120 °C for brass and 100 °C for copper. One-hour treatment in ODA + BTA vapors at these temperatures results in the formation of nanosized adsorption films on the surface of these metals. These films stabilize the passive state and provide efficient temporary protection of metal items. The ODA + BTA inhibitor is superior to its components in terms of protective aftereffect. Our analysis of the mutual effect of BTA and ODA indicated that they show an antagonism of protective action on copper, but there is also a synergistic enhancement in the case of brass. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies demonstrate that the inhibitors in question mainly act by using a blocking mechanism on copper and brass. Chamber treatment of the metals studied in vapors of the ODA + BTA mixture resulted in a noticeable hydrophobization of the copper surface and an insignificant effect on the brass surface. Chamber treatment of copper samples with artificially created polymodal roughness made it possible to obtain a superhydrophobic surface.

In this work, we used a combination of corrosion, electrochemical, and physical methods to determine the properties of nanoscale films obtained by treatment with octadecylamine (ODA), benzotriazole (BTA) vapors, and their mixtures at elevated temperatures. The mixture of ODA + BTA surpasses its components in protective aftereffect, but an analysis of their mutual effects shows that there is antagonism between them. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data indicate that the protection of steel by a mixture of ODA + BTA and its components is characterized by a mixed blocking activation mechanism. The processing of steel in hot vapors of the ODA + BTA mixture leads to hydrophobization of the surface and super-hydrophobization if a polymodal surface is created on the steel before processing in vapors.