Randis Randis, Femiana Gapsari, Karmila Achmad, Abdul M. Sulaiman
Corrosion of steel in acidic chloride environments represents a major challenge in industrial systems, requiring the development of effective and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors. Although natural plant extracts offer sustainable alternatives, inconsistent inhibition performance and unclear molecular mechanisms have limited their widespread industrial adoption. In this study, Artocarpus integer extract (AiE) was evaluated as a green corrosion inhibitor using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PP), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and quantum chemical simulations (DFT and MD). The results showed that AiE achieved a maximum inhibition efficiency of 92.4% (EIS) and 89.7% (PP) at an optimal concentration of 1000 ppm. The adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir isotherm, with ΔG°ads values ranging from –21 to –24 kJ/mol, suggesting spontaneous and predominantly physical adsorption. DFT and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed that phenolic compounds in AiE have high electron-donating ability and form stable interactions with Fe (110) surfaces, supporting the experimental findings. This study demonstrates that Artocarpus integer extract is a promising, sustainable, and efficient green corrosion inhibitor for steel in acidic chloride media, bridging the gap between natural extract potential and practical industrial application. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Balikpapan State Polytechnic, Soekarno Hatta St. Km. 8, Balikpapan, 76126, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Brawijaya University, MT Haryono 167, Malang, 65145, Indonesia; Department of Civil Engineering, Balikpapan State Polytechnic, Soekarno Hatta St. Km. 8, Balikpapan, 76126, Indonesia
