New Publication in RSC Analyst

Congratulations to Felix Frank on his new paper: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4AN00861H (Open Access), with the title:

‘In situ study of the interactions between metal surfaces and cationic surfactant corrosion inhibitors by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy coupled with visible spectroscopy’

published in RSC Analyst.

Cationic surfactants are widely used as corrosion inhibitors for industrial tubings and pipelines, protecting them by forming a protective layer. In order to make this process more efficient, understanding their interactions is crucial. In our new paper, we shine light on the formation of inhibition layers using SERS coupled to VIS spectroscopy, using the aggregation of silver nanoparticles induced by cationic surfactants as a model system for other metal surfaces. Combining these methods with light scattering methods revealed a correlation between aggregated particles with the SERS/VIS spectra depending on the surfactant concentration. These findings could also be used to devise a method for the detection of surfactant-based corrosion inhibitors, enabling resource-efficient, continuous process control.