Surfactants are well known for their colloidal and corrosion inhibition potential (CIP) due to their strong propensity to interact with metallic surfaces. However, because of their small molecular size and the fact that they are only effective at relatively high concentrations, their application in aqueous phase corrosion inhibition is often restricted. Polymeric surfactants, a unique class of corrosion inhibitors, hold the potential to eradicate the challenges associated with using surfactants in corrosion inhibition. They strongly bond with the metallic surface and offer superior CIP because of their macromolecular polymeric structure and abundance of polar functional groups. In contrast to conventional polymeric corrosion inhibitors, the inclusion of polar functional groups also aids in their solubilization in the majority of popular industry-based electrolytes. Some of the major functional groups present in polymeric surfactants used in corrosion mitigation include O (ether), glycidyl (cyclic ether), –CONH₂ (amide), –COOR (ester), –SO₃H (sulfonic acid), –COOH (carboxyl), –NH₂ (amino), − ⁺ NR₃/− ⁺ NHR₂/− ⁺ NH₂R/− ⁺ NH₃ (quaternary ammonium), –OH (hydroxyl), –CH₂OH (hydroxymethyl), etc. The current viewpoint offers state-of-the-art information on polymer surfactants as newly developing ideal alternatives for conventional corrosion inhibitors. The industrial scale-up, colloidal, coordination, adsorption properties, and structural requirements of polymer surfactants have also been established based on the knowledge obtained from the literature. Finally, the challenges, drawbacks, and potential benefits of using polymer surfactants have also been discussed.

表面活性剂因其与金属表面相互作用的强烈倾向而以其胶体和腐蚀抑制电位（CIP）而闻名。然而，由于它们的分子尺寸小且仅在相对高的浓度下才有效，因此它们在水相缓蚀中的应用常常受到限制。聚合物表面活性剂是一类独特的腐蚀抑制剂，有可能消除与使用表面活性剂抑制腐蚀相关的挑战。由于其大分子聚合结构和丰富的极性官能团，它们与金属表面牢固结合并提供优异的 CIP。与传统的聚合物腐蚀抑制剂相比，极性官能团的包含也有助于它们在大多数流行的工业电解质中的溶解。用于缓蚀的聚合物表面活性剂中存在的一些主要官能团包括O （醚）、缩水甘油基（环醚）、-CONH ₂（酰胺）、-COOR（酯）、-SO ₃ H（磺酸）、-COOH (羧基)、-NH ₂ (氨基)、-  ⁺  NR ₃ /-  ⁺  NHR ₂ /-  ⁺  NH ₂ R/-  ⁺  NH ₃ (季铵)、-OH(羟基)、-CH ₂ OH(羟甲基)、目前的观点提供了有关聚合物表面活性剂作为新开发的传统腐蚀抑制剂的理想替代品的最新信息。基于从文献中获得的知识，还建立了聚合物表面活性剂的工业放大、胶体、配位、吸附性能和结构要求。最后，还讨论了使用聚合物表面活性剂的挑战、缺点和潜在好处。