, corresponding to 93.78% and 93.11% inhibition, respectively, at 300 ppm. SEM and AFM comparisons showed that the acid-roughened steel surface was restored toward the polished state in the presence of EPMT. The tabulated DFT descriptors and MC adsorption energies further support strong adsorption of EPMT on Fe(110), consistent with mixed physisorption-chemisorption and effective surface blocking. Overall, the combined gravimetric, electrochemical, surface, and computational results demonstrate that EPMT is an efficient inhibitor for low-carbon steel in 0.5 M HCl.
El-Bana et al. (2026) studied this question.