Understanding of remarkable corrosion combating action of N-(benzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-1-(2-substituted phenyl) methanimines: Electrochemical, surface and computational approach

[Display omitted] •The studied inhibitors effectively adsorb over MS surface; hence suppressed corrosion.•XPS confirmed the elemental composition of MTMM film adsorbed over mild steel counterpart.•Addition of MTMM made MS surface hydrophobic and played a significant role in combating corrosion. The present study highlights the inspection of corrosion combating potential of four thiazole-derived Schiff bases; N-(6-methoxybenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-1-phenylmethanimine (MTPM), 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-(6-methoxybenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl) methanimine(CMTM), N-(6-methoxybenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-1-(2-methoxyphenyl) methanimine (MTMM) and N-(6-methoxybenzo[d]thiazol-2-yl)-1-(2-nitrophenyl)methanimine (MTNM) againstmild steel in 0.5 M H2SO4 with employment of gravimetric, electrochemical, and theoretical studies. The extreme inhibition efficacy of 96.3 % was recorded for MTMM at an ideal concentration of 10.50 × 10−4 M. Investigation delineates the concentration and substituent effect concerning inhibition efficiency. The inclusion of thiazole ring in synthesized structures is considered responsible for the compact protective coating formed as a result of mixed interactions during their adsorption over metal surfaces following Langmuir adsorption curves. Surface investigations; Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were involved to outline the comparative degradation of mild steel surface when subjected to synthesized inhibitors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) evaluated the possible presence of inhibitor’s film over mild steel surface. Theoretical examination; Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Molecular Dynamic Simulation (MD) have been acclimated additionally as supporting evidence for experimental results.