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Continuous Synthesis of Carbon-Coated Na3V2(PO4)3 by Segmented Flow Tubular Reactor
Samuel Franz Gatti1,2, Anton Beiersdorfer1, Ionut Mihalcea1
1Center For Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland.
Small Methods
|March 24, 2026
Summary
Continuous synthesis using a segmented flow tubular reactor (SFTR) offers a scalable method for producing sodium ion battery cathode materials like sodium vanadium phosphate (NVP). This approach yields high-performance materials with excellent capacity retention and rate capability.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Scaling up material synthesis via traditional batch methods (hydrothermal/solvothermal) is time- and cost-intensive due to parameter optimization.
- Continuous synthesis offers a promising alternative for efficient and scalable production of advanced materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a scalable, continuous synthesis approach for sodium vanadium phosphate (Na3V2(PO4)3 - NVP), a sodium-ion battery cathode material.
- To investigate the structure-property-performance relationships of NVP synthesized via continuous flow methods compared to conventional batch methods.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a segmented flow tubular reactor (SFTR) for continuous polyol synthesis of NVP precursor.
- Applied high-temperature treatment with in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) to study phase formation.
- Conducted electrochemical evaluations in half-cells to assess performance.
Main Results:
- SFTR-derived NVP exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, including low capacity fading (0.016% per cycle at 1C) and high-rate capability up to 10C.
- In situ XRD analysis provided insights into phase formation during high-temperature treatment.
- The continuous synthesis method demonstrated advantages over conventional hydrothermal routes in terms of scalability and material properties.
Conclusions:
- Continuous synthesis via SFTR is a viable and scalable method for producing high-performance NVP for sodium-ion batteries.
- The methodology is transferable to other phosphate-based battery chemistries, highlighting the potential of continuous flow chemistry for accelerating battery material production.
