Natalia Elia

Dr. Natalia Elia


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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6 August 2026 in Molecules
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Journal Article
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NENatalia Elia
Natalia Elia
FRFrancesca De Rosa
Francesca De Rosa
ADAnna Dotti
Anna Dotti
Andrea Basso PeressutAndrea Basso Peressut
Andrea Basso Peressut
RMRoberto Matarrese
Roberto Matarrese
Saverio LatorrataSaverio Latorrata
Saverio Latorrata
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysis is a promising sustainable solution for water decontamination; however, the industrial application of TiO2 is hindered by its wide band gap and high handling and recovery costs. This work proposes to overcome these issues by developing a composite coating of nanopowder TiO2 and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) applied onto commercial polyurethane (PU) foams by means of a simple, low-energy dip-coating process designed to enhance pollutant adsorption and photocatalytic activity. The rGO-TiO2 coating was optimized by exploring different surface pre-treatments of the PU foams, the deposition of rGO-TiO2 multilayers, and the variation in the rGO-TiO2 mass ratio (1:3, 1:4, and 1:5). The prepared materials were characterized by optical microscopy, SEM-EDX, DSC, and thermogravimetry, while the stability of the coating was preliminarily evaluated through ultrasonic tests. The water decontamination capability of the coated foams was investigated by adsorption and UV-Vis photodegradation tests using a 3 mg/L aqueous solution of Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model contaminant. The results demonstrated that the rGO-TiO2 1:3-coated samples achieved complete RhB photodegradation within 90 min, with a pseudo-first-order kinetic constant of 0.0446 1/min. Moreover, pre-treating the foam with a 3 M NaOH solution improved coating adhesion onto the PU substrate while maintaining comparable decontamination efficiency.