Studies of genistein as green corrosion inhibitor isolated from R. monosperma flowers

Over the last decade, the effectiveness of phytochemicals as corrosion inhibitors in acid environments has been confirmed. The study shows that using plants could be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic inhibitors that can be expensive and dangerous. In particular, the inhibitory properties and the adsorption behavior of genistein, a chemical compound extracted from the flower extract of Retama monosperma (L.) Boiss, were investigated for their durable application in protecting carbon steel in 1 M HCl medium. The results showed that, genistein had an exceptional performance in inhibiting corrosion with a significant inhibition efficiency of 78% at 5 × 10 −4 M. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy revealed that a protective layer had formed on the surface of the carbon steel, helping to improve corrosion resistance. A study on the effects of temperature revealed that the inhibitory efficacy of genistein decreased with increasing temperature. To further analyze the adsorption mechanism, a theoretical analysis based on density functional theory (DFT) method and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations was carried out, which demonstrated the interaction of the adsorbed molecules with the steel surface.