Four sulfonamide-type microbial inhibitors were studied
using density
functional theory (DFT) to assess their effectiveness in controlling
microbial corrosion. The experimental techniques (FTIR, SEM, EIS,
EFM, and AFM) are beneficial for measuring properties such as chemical
composition, bond formation, electrochemical behavior, and surface
topography; however, DFT can be useful as a new method for understanding
microbial corrosion. Sulfacetamide (SFC), sulfamerazine (SFM), sulfapyridine
(SFP), and sulfathiazole (SFT) uniformly adsorb onto the iron surface
and block the active site, reducing the corrosion rate. To study the
effect on microbial activity, a 0.6 eV electric field was applied.
The absolute increase in the interaction energy indicates that sulfonamides
are effective microbial inhibitors. Electronic SFC, SFM, SFP, and
SFT descriptors agree with the experimental inhibition efficiency.
The shift of the density of state (DOS) toward a low energy level
for sulfonamides indicates the stabilization of these molecules at
the Fe (100) surface. The population analysis combined with atomic
and molecular parameters further explains the anticorrosive mechanism
of sulphonamides.