Electrochemical Potential Monitoring of Corrosion and Inhibitors Protection of Mild Steel Embedded in Concrete in NaCl Solution

The corrosion and protection behaviour of mild steel embedded in concrete, and partially immersed in 3.5% sodium chloride solution, was studied in this investigation at ambient temperature by potential monitoring technique. The work was performed with a digital multimeter and a Cu/CuSO4 electrode (CSE) as the reference electrode. Extracts of pawpaw (carica papaya) leaves and sodium nitrite in different concentrations were separately and in combination, used as inhibitors. This paper reports the observed electrochemical response from the electrode potential monitoring of the embedded mild steel during the experiments. The results obtained, showed a reduction in the active corrosion reactions behaviour of the embedded mild steel in concrete admixed with different concentrations of sodium nitrite and the pawpaw leaves extracts thus indicating corrosion inhibition characteristic. The observed inhibition was attributed to the protective film provided on the steel’s surface in the concrete by the complex chemical compounds of the plant leaves’ extracts and the reaction of sodium nitrite with the alkaline environment of the concrete and its constituents. The combination of pawpaw extracts and the NaNO2 solution provided effective corrosion inhibition of the embedded steel by synergism. The 100% concentration of each of the inhibitors and when in combinations, exhibited the most effective corrosion inhibition performance.