Cinnamoum tamala leaves extract highly efficient corrosion bio-inhibitor for low carbon steel: Applying computational and experimental studies

•The EIS has confirmed, that at 100 mg/L extract shows inhibition efficiency > 95%.•At LCS surface adsorption of extract has been confirmed by SEM and AFM techniques.•The adsorption behavior of main phytochemicals has been explained by DFT and MD. The soxhlet extraction method was used to prepare the extract ofCinnamoum tamala (C. tamala). Corrosion resistance performance ofC. tamalaleaves extract for low carbon steel (LCS) in the solution of 0.5 M H2SO4 was examined by Eletrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Tafel and gravimetric loss studies. Notably,C. tamalashowed much high 96.76% industrial required efficiency at very low 100 mg/L critical concentration. Theoretical studies, using UV–vis, Density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, were led as a valuable report for understanding the electronic adsorption, comparative inhibitory activities of phytochemicals. The results obtained revealed thatC. tamala extract might be used as a highly efficient industrial required corrosion inhibitor.