Corrosion inhibitors

Advances in the field of corrosion inhibitors proceed in two main directions: (i) development of eco-friendly effective treatments and (ii) production of “smart” coatings. The first issue is connected to the more strict regulations regarding corrosion inhibitors application, due to environmental concerns. As a consequence, in various fields spanning from cooling water treatments, oil and gas production and transportation, acid media processes, protective coatings and reinforced concrete structures, research efforts have produced new nontoxic (or less toxic) effective formulations, often taking advantage of synergistic inhibiting effects between different substances and in some cases based on nonhazardous natural products. The recent advances in the field of nanotechnologies have triggered the development of more long-lasting inhibitor-containing coatings. The technology of “smart” corrosion inhibitor release, now also tentatively applied to solutions simulating concrete pore electrolyte, involves preparation of nano- or microcontainers of inhibiting substances, capable to release them in the coating/in concrete just when and where corrosion starts.