Abstract

Background: Copper is a metal that is widely used in many fields such as industry and construction, etc. These different industrial sectors use acid solutions such as nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, etc. The use of acid solutions in the industrial environment causes degradation of materials. In recent decades, the use of corrosion inhibitors has become very essential.

Objective: The objective of our study is to test the performance of meloxicam as a copper corrosion inhibitor in a nitric acid medium.

Methods: The studies were conducted using the gravimetric method and density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6-311G (d, p) level of theory. The inhibitory efficiency of the molecule increases with increasing concentration of Meloxicam, but decreases with increasing temperature. The adsorption of the molecule on the copper surface follows the Villamil model.

Results: The thermodynamic quantities of adsorption and activation were determined and discussed. Quantum chemical calculations have allowed determining the molecular descriptors.

Conclusion: There is a good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results. Electrochemical studies are envisaged.

Keywords: Copper, corrosion inhibition, meloxicam, mass loss technique, DFT calculations, degradation.

Graphical Abstract