College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2024-06-04 07:41:08
Major
Corrosion Engineering
Honors Course
CHEE 497
Number of Credits
3
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2024
Abstract
Our conjecture was twofold: first, that two compounds historically used as food preservatives could act as environmentally friendly inhibitors against rebar corrosion, and second, that molecular properties have a quantifiable influence on inhibition efficiency (%IE). To evaluate the two compounds, cyclic potentiodynamic polarization was used to determine corrosion current density (icorr) and %IE. The “green” inhibitor candidates included sodium metabisulfite and ascorbic acid, which yielded maximum %IE values of -123900% and 91%, respectively. Results indicated that sodium metabisulfite is not a suitable inhibitor, while ascorbic acid showed potential to extend reinforced concrete’s design life without posing health or environmental risks. Next, relationships between experimentally determined %IE and molecular properties determined using density functional theory were represented graphically. Linear fitting was then used to obtain R2 values, which classified the strength of each relationship. The strongest correlations existed within a group of four compounds, which shared structural similarities. Electronic energy, Egap, dipole moment, and polarizability exhibited directional trends with respective R2 values of 0.118 (decreasing), 0.601 (decreasing), 0.122 (increasing), and 0.809 (increasing). These findings imply the existence of such relationships, suggesting potential for refining future corrosion inhibitor research.
Research Sponsor
Donald Visco
First Reader
Qixin Zhou
Second Reader
Jennifer Lillard
Honors Faculty Advisor
Donald Visco
Proprietary and/or Confidential Information
No
Recommended Citation
Hughes, Jake R., "Corrosion Inhibitors: Mitigating the Degradation of Rebar" (2024). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1884.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1884