International conference on material innovation for health environment and energy

Benzilic acid and its derivatives are versatile ligands that form stable metal complexes with
potential applications in materials science and biomedical fields. This study reports the
synthesis of benzilic acid-derived nano-metal complexes, their physicochemical
characterization, evaluation as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in acidic media, and
preliminary biological activity (antimicrobial and antioxidant) assessment. Nanosizing was
achieved using a green-assisted co-precipitation/sonochemical approach (ultrasonication in the
presence of a stabilizer) to yield nano-metal complexes (NMCs). The materials were
characterized by FT-IR, UV Vis, XRD, TEM/SEM, and DLS for particle size, morphology,
and coordination mode confirmation. Corrosion protection of mild steel was evaluated in 1.0
M HCl using weight-loss measurements, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Inhibitor performance was studied across a concentration range
and at different immersion times and temperatures Antimicrobial activity was screened against
Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) strains using
disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. The synthesized NMCs
exhibited nanoscale dimensions (confirmed by TEM/XRD), strong coordination of the ligand
to the metal center (FT-IR/UV Vis), and improved corrosion inhibition compared with the free
ligand: inhibition efficiency increased with concentration and adsorption followed
predominantly Preliminary biological screening showed measurable antimicrobial activity
(greater effect on Gram-positive strain in our samples. These materials could be further
optimized for industrial corrosion control and biomedical coatings after in-depth toxicological
and long-term performance studies