A novel volatile corrosion inhibitor (VCI), bis-piperidiniummethyl-urea (BPMU), was developed for temporary protection of carbon steel. Its vapor corrosion inhibition property was evaluated under simulated operational conditions. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was applied to study the inhibition effect of BPMU on the corrosion of carbon steel with a thin stimulated atmospheric corrosion water layers. Adsorption of BPMU on carbon steel surfaces was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicate that BPMU can form a protective film on the metal surface, which protects the metal against further corrosion. The structure of the protective film was suggested as one BPMU molecule chelated with one Fe atom to form a complex with two hexa-rings. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.