Politecnico di Milano 1863
Luna Pratali Maffei

Assistant Professor

Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano

Phone: +390223993243

Fax: +390270638173

luna.pratali@polimi.it

Research interests

My research activity focuses on fundamental chemical kinetics and its integration in kinetic modeling of large mechanisms for the pyrolysis and combustion of biofuels. In particular, my research focuses on:

  • Ab initio electronic structure calculations
  • Rate constant calculation and theory-based rate rules derivation
  • Lumping methods for the integration of ab initio rate constants into large mechanisms
  • Kinetic modeling of high-temperature processes for thermal energy conversion (biomass-derived fuels, conventional and renewable hydrocarbons, e-fuels)
  • Monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
  • Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) synthesis in flames and carbon deposition from pyrolysis processes
  • Optical and electronic properties of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and CNPs

Research experience

  • Junior Assistant Professor (RTD-A), Politecnico di MilanoMar. 2023 – present
  • Visiting Graduate Researcher, Argonne National LaboratoryMar. 2022 – Sep. 2022
  • Visiting student, King Abdullah University of Science and TechnologyMar. 2016 – Jul. 2016

Education

  • PhD in Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.2018 – 2022
  • Master Degree in Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano.2016 – 2018
  • Double Degree in Chemical Engineering, Alta Scuola Politecnica.2017 – 2018
  • Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering and Material Science, Università degli Studi di Padova.2009 – 2011

Selected publications

  • Nobili, A., Pratali Maffei, L., Baggioli, A., Pelucchi, M., Cuoci, A., Cavallotti, C. and Faravelli, T. (2022). On the radical behavior of large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soot formation and oxidation. Combustion and Flame, 235, 111692. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2021.111692
  • Dong, S., Wagnon, S.W., Pratali Maffei, L., Kukkadapu, G., Nobili, A., Mao, Q., Pelucchi, M., Cai, L., Zhang, K., Raju, M., Chatterjee, T., Pitz, W., Faravelli, T., Pitsch, H., Senecal, P., and Curran, H. (2022). A new detailed kinetic model for surrogate fuels: C3MechV3. 3. Applications in Energy and Combustion Science, 9, 100043. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaecs.2021.100043
  • Pratali Maffei, L., Pelucchi, M., Cavallotti, C., Bertolino, A. and Faravelli, T. (2021). Master equation lumping for multi-well potential energy surfaces: a bridge between ab initio based rate constant calculations and large kinetic mechanisms. Chemical Engineering Journal, 422, 129954. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.129954
  • Pratali Maffei, L., Pelucchi, M., Faravelli, T. and Cavallotti, C. (2020). Theoretical study of sensitive reactions in phenol decomposition. Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 5(3), 452-472. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/c9re00418a
  • Pratali Maffei, L., Faravelli, T., Cavallotti, C. and Pelucchi, M. (2020). Electronic structure-based rate rules for Ḣ ipso addition–elimination reactions on mono-aromatic hydrocarbons with single and double OH/CH 3/OCH 3/CHO/C 2 H 5 substituents: a systematic theoretical investigation. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 22(36), 20368-20387. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d0cp03099f

Teaching activities