Alkali salts of amino acids as alkaline additives for neutralization of acidic corrosion inhibitors.

We present alkali salts of amino acids as functional, non-toxic, non-hazardous, non-volatile, chemically stable, and cheap alkaline additives for common acidic corrosion inhibitors. The resulting mixtures have been evaluated for Co, Ni, and Cu leaching and were analyzed by chip filter assay, potentiodynamic polarization measurements, electrochemical impedance measurements, and gravimetry for corrosion protection of iron and steel in aqueous environment at slightly alkaline pH. Leaching of Co and Ni was found to depend on the corresponding complex stabilities. Taurine (Tau) as well as aminohexanoic acid (AHX) leads to low leaching of Co and Ni. Particularly AHX is an attractive low leaching additive leading to lower Co and Ni concentrations in solution than currently used amino alcohols. Glu and Tau were found to synergistically interact with several acidic corrosion inhibitors of the carboxylic acid and the phosphonic acid type. Tau had a particularly positive impact on the protective properties of carboxyphosphonic acids. Glu had also a positive effect on the anti-corrosive properties of several acidic corrosion inhibitors and served as an anti-scalant. Alkali salts of Glu and Tau might thus serve as commercially and ecologically attractive substitutes for current alkaline additives to acidic corrosion inhibitors.

Natural Product-Derived Phosphonic Acids as Corrosion Inhibitors for Iron and Steel.

Organic acids, typically derived from an oil-based value chain, are frequently used as corrosion inhibitors in industrial metal working fluids. The criteria for selection of these corrosion inhibitors have changed in the last decades, and are today not only performance-driven, but influenced by ecological considerations, toxicity and regulatory standards. We present scalable semisynthetic approaches to organic corrosion inhibitors based on phosphonic acids from renewable resources. They have been evaluated by chip filter assay, potentiodynamic polarization measurements, electrochemical impedance measurements and gravimetry for corrosion protection of iron and steel in an aqueous environment at slightly alkaline pH. The efficacy of several phosphonic acids tested was found to be strongly dependent on structural features influencing molecular self-assembly of protective layers, and the solubility of salts formed with di- and trivalent cations from the media or formed during corrosion. A carboxyphosphonic acid (derived from castor oil) was found to have remarkable anticorrosive effects in all media tested. We attribute the anticorrosion properties of this carboxyphosphonic acid to the formation of particularly stable protective layers on the metal surface. It might thus serve as a commercially attractive substitute for current acidic corrosion inhibitors, derived from renewable resources.

Contact-active antibacterial polyethylene foils via atmospheric air plasma induced polymerisation of quaternary ammonium salts.

Polyethylene (PE) foils were modified with potent contact-active antibacterial quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) by an atmospheric air plasma activation step, followed by graft-polymerisation of vinylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride (VBTAC) monomers. The presented approach uses a cost efficient air plasma activation and subsequent radical polymerisation in highly concentrated aqueous monomer solutions to generate efficient antibacterial materials. The obtained contact-active poly-VBTAC modified PE foils feature a homogeneous and 300 nm thick polymer layer with a high charge density of approximately 1016 N+/cm2. The antibacterial properties were evaluated against Gram-negative (P. aeruginosa, E. coli) and Gram-positive (S. aureus, S. epidermidis) bacteria. The materials showed strong antibacterial activity by eradicating all the inoculated bacteria with bacterial challenges of 104 to 105 CFU/cm2 and good reductions even at maximum challenge (108 CFU/cm2). We have confirmed contact-activity by an agar diffusion assay. The obtained materials are therefore highly attractive for applications, for example, in packaging and are a contribution to an ecomic and green antimicrobial management without release of biocides to the environment.