GUWAHATI, Aug 12: An international team of researchers, led by Nagaland University, has identified how lanthanide salts, a class of rare-earth compounds, can serve as next generation, environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors.
The research, which is a significant leap for sustainable materials science in India, was taken up by eight Ph.D. scholars from Corrosion and Electrochemistry Research Group (CERG), Department of Chemistry, Nagaland University.
Published in one of the highest-ranked international journals, the research charts a path for industrial applications in sectors such as oil and gas, marine engineering, automotive manufacturing and renewable energy infrastructure.
Corrosion inhibitors are chemicals that slow down or prevent the corrosion (gradual degradation) of metals when exposed to air, water, chemicals or other environmental factors.
With global industries under increasing pressure to replace hazardous materials with sustainable alternatives, the research offers a blueprint for future research and a strategic guide for industries aiming to adopt eco-friendly corrosion protection technologies.
The research suggests that the corrosion inhibition potential of inorganic salts remains unexplored despite their association with many benefits and opportunities such as low toxicity, compatibility, long-term stability and ability to protect corrosion in solution and coating phases, among other benefits.
The potential of lanthanide salts in green corrosion inhibitors has also been examined, emphasising the possibilities for sophisticated characterisation methods, AI prediction and computational design.
Congratulating the research team, Prof. Jagadish Kumar Patnaik, vice-chancellor, Nagaland University, said, “With global industries facing mounting pressure to transition from toxic substances to sustainable technologies, this discovery provides a strategic pathway for adopting safe, effective and environmentally responsible corrosion protection methods”.
