The interaction of imidazole, benzimidazole and related azoles with a copper surface

Azoles such as benzotriazole and benzimidazole are used as corrosion inhibitors, particularly for copper. The purpose of this work is to further illuminate the bonding and film growth for benzimidazole‐like structures. The interaction of imidazole, benzimidazole, 2‐methylbenz‐imidazole and benzotriazole with copper surfaces is studied with a quartz crystal oscillator microbalance and with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The copper surface is etched by imidazole in water and in CH 3 OH and by benzimidazole in CH 3 OH. A very thin film, probably a monolayer or less, is left behind after etching. Thicker films, 500 to 1000 AÅ, are formed by benzimidazole in water and by 2‐methylbenzimidazole in both water and CH 3 OH. Mechanisms of bonding and film formation for the thin and the thick films are discussed.