Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on the Corrosion Behaviour of Mild Steel and 316 Austenitic Stainless Steel in 0.5 M H2SO4

Abstract

The research investigated the effect of silver nanoparticles on the corrosion behaviour of Mild steel and 316 Austenitic stainless steel in 0.5M H2SO4 using the potentiodynamic polarization method. The nanoparticles were synthesized from the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) plant extracts using Silver Nitrate (AgNO3) and were characterized using Atomic Adsorption Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and the Ultraviolet Visible Spectroscopy Technique. The AAS results showed that the plant extract is eco-friendly as it does not contain heavy metals. The FTIR results showed the different functional groups present in the extracts obtained from the different parts of the plant to be Alcohol O-H, Nitrile C≡N, Alkyne C≡C, Alkene C=C and Benzene Ring C=C. The UV-Vis results showed the presence of phenolic compound which aided inhibition. The results from the potentiodynamic polarization showed that the nanoparticle obtained from the leaf has the highest corrosion inhibition efficiency and the corrosion inhibition efficiency increases as the concentration of inhibitors increases.