Research interests
My research focuses on the experimental and computational modeling of advanced carbon material synthesis, with a specific emphasis on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) production via Floating Catalyst Chemical Vapor Deposition (FCCVD).
I aim to understand and predict the interplay between gas-phase reactions, catalytic nanoparticle evolution, and carbon growth, to enable process optimization for both high-quality materials and sustainable hydrogen production.
Key research interests:
- Methane pyrolysis & turquoise hydrogen – low-carbon hydrogen production coupled with solid carbon valorization.
- Floating Catalyst CVD processes – design, optimization, and scaling for CNT synthesis.
- Catalytic nanoparticle dynamics – modeling formation, growth, and activity of iron nanoparticles during CNT growth.
- Multi-scale kinetic modeling – coupling gas-phase, catalytic surface, and heterogeneous deposition models using modular, hierarchical frameworks.
- Experimental–model integration – systematic validation of models with Raman, TEM, and particle size distribution measurements.
- Carbon material applications – translating process insights into industrially relevant CNTs and pyrolytic carbon for high-performance composites.
Through this combined experimental–modeling approach, I aim to deliver predictive tools that bridge laboratory understanding with industrial-scale implementation of sustainable carbon nanomaterial production.
Education
- Ph.D. in Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Nov. 2021 – May. 2025
- Visiting Ph.D. at IMDEA Materials Institute, Madrid, Spain. Nov. 2023 – Jul. 2024
- Master Degree in Chemical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Oct. 2019 – Oct. 2021
- Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Sept. 2016 – Jul. 2019
Selected Publications
- C. Giudici, G. Contaldo, M. Ferri, L. Pratali Maffei, M. Bracconi, M. Pelucchi, M. Maestri, Understanding
heterogeneous growth mechanisms at graphene edges: a theoretical study on acetylene deposition and
mechanistic analysis, React. Chem. Eng. 9 (2024) 2505–2519 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4RE00096J - C. Giudici, F. Serse, A. Nobili, M. Bracconi, M. Maestri, M. Pelucchi, Chapter One – Catalytic and non catalytic
chemical kinetics of hydrocarbons cracking for hydrogen and carbon materials production, in: M. Pelucchi, M.
Maestri (Eds.), Turquoise Hydrogen: An Effective Pathway to Decarbonization and Value Added Carbon
Materials, Academic Press, 2023: pp. 1–62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.ache.2023.06.001 - F. Serse, Z. Ding, M. Bracconi, M. Maestri, A. Nobili, C. Giudici, A. Frassoldati, T. Faravelli, A. Cuoci, M. Pelucchi, A comprehensive kinetic framework for solid carbon deposition and hydrogen production from the pyrolysis of light
hydrocarbons streams, Carbon Trends 11 (2023) 100263. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cartre.2023.100263 - B. Chen, P. Liu, M. Pelucchi, C. Guidici, L.P. Maffei, S. Faller, Q. Xu, J. Huang, F. Zhang, C. Huang, K. Leonhard, Z.
Wang, M. Mehl, W.L. Roberts, T. Faravelli, H. Pitsch, New insights into the oxidation chemistry of pyrrole, an N-
containing biomass tar component, Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 39 (2023) 73–84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2022.07.019