Cefuroxime: A Potential Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in Sulphuric Acid Medium

An antibiotic drug, cefuroxime, is applied on the mild steel surface after the expiry date is over, in various concentrations in 0.5 M sulphuric acid solution, to study the corrosion inhibition by using the weight loss method at various temperatures ranging from 298 to 338 K. Potentiodynamic polarization techniques, i.e., polarization resistance and tafel polarization and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy studies were done at room temperature and the results are in good agreement with the weight loss data. It has a high inhibition activity at lower temperatures. It is found that inhibition efficiency decreases with the increase in time and acid concentration. The activation parameters, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of the reaction were also calculated. It is postulated that the inhibition process is the physical adsorption of the cefuroxime on the metal surface. Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm governs the adsorption process. It is also supported by the roughness calculation done by the atomic force microscopic technique.