Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep 22:13:1644300.
doi: 10.3389/fchem.2025.1644300. eCollection 2025.

Corrosion inhibition mechanisms of metal-organic frameworks in ammonia-rich environments

Jiao-Jiao Cao  1 , Yu-Meng Wu  1 , Jin-Long Ge  1 , Qing-Min Yang  1 , Zhen-Yu Chen  2
Affiliations

Corrosion inhibition mechanisms of metal-organic frameworks in ammonia-rich environments

Jiao-Jiao Cao et al. Front Chem. .

Abstract

A range of metal-organic framework (MOF)-based composite materials were synthesized and assessed for their corrosion inhibition properties in ammonia-containing aqueous environments. The interaction mechanisms of these materials with copper surfaces were systematically investigated using electrochemical techniques and surface characterization methods. Based on these analyses, a comprehensive mechanistic model was developed to explain the interplay of the observed factors. The results demonstrated that the corrosion inhibition performance of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), a representative class of MOFs, is significantly influenced by the surrounding environment. Specifically, experimental analysis revealed a competitive interaction between NH3 and the ZIF ligand in complex reactions, leading to structural instability of the ZIFs. This instability compromises the protective layer formed on the copper surface, resulting in a reduction of up to 60% in corrosion inhibition efficiency and, consequently, insufficient long-term durability.

Keywords: MOFs; ZIFs; ammonia-containing aqueous environments; copper; corrosion inhibition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
XRD patterns of ZIFs with metal center ions.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
SEM images of ZIFs treated with NH3·H2O at 25 °C: before (a) Zn-ZIF (b) Co-ZIF (c) Ni-ZIF and after (d) Zn-ZIF (NH3·H2O) (e) Co-ZIF (NH3·H2O) (f) Ni-ZIF (NH3·H2O).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
TEM images of different metal center ions-ZIFs treated with 20 mg/L NH3·H2O at 25 °C: before (a) Zn-ZIF (d) Co-ZIF (g) Ni-ZIF and after (b,c) Zn-ZIF (NH3·H2O) (e,f) Co-ZIF (NH3·H2O) (h,i) Ni-ZIF (NH3·H2O).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
FTIR of different metal center ions-ZIFs treated with ammonia at 25 °C.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Electronichemical measurements of copper in 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution with NH3·H2O at 25 °C (a) polarization curves (b) Nyquist plots.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Polarization curves of copper in 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution with ZIFs and NH3·H2O at 25 °C (a) Zn-ZIF (b) Co-ZIF (c) Ni-ZIF.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Nyquist (a,c,e) and Bode plots (b,d,f) of copper in 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution with different metal center ions-ZIFs and NH3·H2O at 25 °C: (a,b) Zn-ZIF (c,d) Co-ZIF (e,f) Ni-ZIF.
FIGURE 8
FIGURE 8
Electrochemical equivalent circuits for fitting the impedance spectra.
FIGURE 9
FIGURE 9
SEM images copper immersed in 0.5 mol/L NaCl solution containing different metal center ions-ZIFs and NH3·H2O for 24 h at 25 °C (a) blank (b) Zn-ZIF (c) Co-ZIF (d) Ni-ZIF (e) Zn-ZIF (NH3·H2O) (f) Co-ZIF (NH3·H2O) (g) Ni-ZIF (NH3·H2O).
FIGURE 10
FIGURE 10
Schematic diagram of the effect of NH3·H2O on the corrosion inhibition behavior of different metal center ions-ZIFs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aboraia A. M., Darwish A. A. A., Polyakov V., Erofeeva E., Butova V., Zahran H. Y., et al. (2020). Structural characterization and optical properties of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) for solid-state electronics applications. Opt. Mater. 100, 109648. 10.1016/j.optmat.2019.109648 - DOI
    1. Abtan N. S., Al-Hamid M. A. I., Kadhim L. A., Sayyid F. F., Noori F. T. M., Kadum A., et al. (2024). Unlocking the power of 4-Acetamidoantipyrine: a promising corrosion inhibitor for preserving mild steel in harsh hydrochloric acid environments. Prog. Color, Colorants and Coatings 17. 10.30509/pccc.2023.167147.1223 - DOI
    1. Ali H. A., El-Hossiany A. A., Abousalem A. S., Ismail M. A., Fouda E. A. S., Ghaith E. A. (2024). Synthesis of new binary trimethoxyphenylfuran pyrimidinones as proficient and sustainable corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in acidic medium: experimental, surface morphology analysis, and theoretical studies. BMC Chem. 18 (1), 182. 10.1186/s13065-024-01280-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aliyari D., Mahdavian M., Ramezanzadeh B. (2023). Assessment of synthesis conditions on the corrosion inhibitive features of ZIF-67 MOF. Surf. Coatings Technol. 474, 130060. 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2023.130060 - DOI
    1. Bai W., Zhang X., He Z., Qian Y., Jian R., Lin Y., et al. (2023). Intelligent anti-corrosion coating with multiple protections using active nanocontainers of ZnAl LDH equipped with ZIF-8 encapsulated environment-friendly corrosion inhibitors. Prog. Org. Coatings 185, 107940. 10.1016/j.porgcoat.2023.107940 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources