Performance of dodecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride as bactericide and corrosion inhibitor for 7B04 aluminum alloy in an aircraft fuel system

In this study, the broad-spectrum antimicrobial property of dodecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (DDBAC) was investigated against three species of bacteria, Lysinibacillus sphaericus (L. sphaericus), Acinetobacter lwoffii (A. lwoffii), and Sediminibacterium salmoneum (S. salmoneum) isolated and purified from a naval aircraft fuel system. Through the inhibition zone method and minimum inhibitory concentration test, DDBAC was found to have a good antimicrobial performance with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 64 mg/L. The influence of DDBAC on the corrosion behavior of fuel tank material was evaluated by electrochemical measurements, such as polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The polarization curve indicated that DDBAC suppressed anodic and cathodic reactions as a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor, and the inhibition efficiency was 68.38% at the concentration of 80 mg/L after 28 days of immersion. The EIS results showed that DDBAC inhibited the corrosion of 7B04 aluminum alloy in the concentration range of 40–120 mg/L. The DDBAC adsorption on the aluminum alloy surface was in agreement with the modified Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The quantum chemical calculations proved that a lone pair of electrons of nitrogen atoms in DDBAC were able to form coordinate bonds with the empty orbital in aluminum, resulting in a tight chemisorption layer on the aluminum alloy surface and corrosion inhibition.