Anionic surfactant and its nanocomposite as corrosion inhibitors for dental implants

Dental implants are continuously exposed to aggressive oral conditions that can trigger corrosion and compromise their long-term success. In the present work, findings highlight the potential of surfactant nanocomposities (NCs), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with the titanium oxide (TiO₂) nanoparticals (NPs), which were evaluated as corrosion inhibitors using mild steel as a model substrate in artificial saliva. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and open circuit potential (OCP) measurements revealed that the SDS-TiO₂ system achieved markedly higher inhibition efficiency than SDS alone, owing to strong adsorption and stable inhibitor-surface interactions. Structural characterization confirmed nanoscale particle size and stability. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed nanoscale dimensions (13.9-28.6 nm) and and zeta-sizer analysis revealed a single sharp peak with an approximate size of 17 nm with good stability, supporting its effective performance. The high E_ads value ( - 2585.50 kcal/mol) for the SDS-TiO₂ NCs system reflects the greater stability (inhibitor/surface interaction) and consequently increases their inhibition efficiencies. Statistical analysis (ANOVA, p < 0.05) further validated the significant improvement in resistance parameters with SDS-TiO₂. Computational modeling (DFT, Monte Carlo (MC), and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations) corroborated experimental findings by demonstrating the strong binding affinity of the inhibitor system adsorbed on the surface of Fe (110) by a horizontal orientation. While mild steel was employed as a surrogate, these results highlight the translational promise of SDS-TiO₂ NCs for enhancing corrosion resistance in dental implant environments. Future validation of the present findings on clinically relevant alloys (CP-Ti and Ti-6Al-4 V) is essential to confirm the translational potential of SDS-TiO₂ systems for real-world dental implant applications. This addition strengthens the clinical anchoring of the study by outlining a clear direction for future research.