Understanding the inhibiting properties of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole from fractal analysis

The effect of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATR) as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in acid media has been investigated by means of potentiodynamic polarization curves, electrochemical noise measurements (ENM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It appears that this compound inhibits mild steel corrosion by affecting both cathodic and anodic reactions. The experimental results obtained by ENM and EIS shown that a direct relationship can be established between the fractal dimension of the electrode surface and the Hurst exponent calculated from current and potential electrochemical noise time records, being both parameters affected by the presence of the ATR inhibitor.