Thanks to our experience in tailoring the properties of composite materials, we can design dedicated strategies for water protection and purification. We develop materials with desired properties (i.e. wettability, photocatalytic activity, chemical affinity for metal ions and organic pollutants,) either by modifying the surface properties of already existing materials (i.e. synthetic foams), or by engineering sustainable composite materials into porous structures.

We demonstrate how these materials are applied in processes such as water/oil separation, removal of heavy metals and bio-persistent organics substances and for freshwater generation from seawater and atmospheric moisture.

Recently, we have incorporated to our research the development of natural-based materials for coral protection and coral reef restoration.