Narrow Results

Cerium-doped ZnS nanoparticles have been synthesized through hydrothermal method. The nanoparticles were stabilized using hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) as surfactant in aqueous solution. The average particle size of the prepared samples is about 2 nm. The structure of the as-prepared ZnS nanoparticles is cubic (zinc blende) as demonstrated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analysis. TEM results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in the HMTA matrix without aggregation. The UV–Vis absorption spectra of the prepared ZnS nanoparticles show a considerable blueshift in the absorption band edge compared to bulk ZnS indicating a strong quantum confinement effect. Formation of HMTA-capped ZnS nanoparticles was confirmed by FTIR studies. Photoluminescence studies showed that the relative emission intensity of Ce³⁺-doped ZnS nanoparticles is higher than that of undoped ZnS nanoparticles, which is due to the enhancement of radiative recombination in the luminescence process. The PL spectra showed two emission peaks at around 420 nm and 442 nm, which may be attributed to deep-trap emission or defect-related emission of ZnS and presence of various surface states.

In this investigation, attempts have been made to study the inhibitive effect of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) on carbon steel in 10% HCl (mass%) by weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, EIS, and AFM. Results indicate that inhibition efficiency (IE) of HMTA increases with the increase in pickling immersion time from 10 to 60 min, and IE also increases with the increase in temperature. At higher temperatures (80°C), the IE values are higher and almost independent of pickling time. HMTA can be adsorbed on the surface of metal and reduce the corrosion rate of metal. HMTA is a kind of mixed inhibitor and can retard both the anodic dissolution and cathodic hydrogen evolution reactions independently. IE increases with the concentration of HMTA. Electrochemistry measurement shows that adsorption follows the Langmuir isotherm and the value of free energies of adsorption (ΔG_ads) is < 0, so the adsorption process can occur automatically. AFM analyses show HMTA can affect the surface roughness and protect metal.