There is a high demand
for eco-friendly, effective, and high-performance
corrosion inhibitors for industrial applications. Thus, the corrosion
property of aluminum alloys was studied in essential oil-containing
sodium chloride solution at various concentrations. Potentiodynamic
polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), surface
tests, and weight loss analysis were used to study the corrosion inhibition
mechanism of the essential oil. The essential oil showed the highest
inhibition efficiency of 97.01% at 1000 ppm. A high efficiency of
96.03% was achieved even after 168 h of exposure. The potentiodynamic
polarization test showed that the essential oil is a mixed-type inhibitor.
EIS results show better adsorption of the oil on the surface of the
aluminum at increased inhibitor concentrations. The Langmuir’s
adsorption isotherm model was found to describe the adsorption behavior.
The surface morphology of the uninhibited and inhibited specimens
examined by a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive
X-ray spectroscope confirmed the protective film of the inhibitor
molecules on the aluminum surface.