A hybrid tube/muffle furnace is a versatile 2-in-1 laboratory instrument designed to function as both a box (muffle) furnace for bulk air-heating and a vacuum tube furnace for controlled-atmosphere processing.

The hybrid system utilizes a standard rectangular heating chamber with a specialized "top-entry" or "side-entry" port. (1) Muffle Mode (Box Furnace): Operator removes the processing tube and insert a ceramic insulation block into the port. The chamber functions as a high-volume box furnace, ideal for ashing samples, calcining raw precursors for NFPP, or heat-treating large batches of materials in air. (2) Tube Mode (Controlled Atmosphere): Operator inserts a high-purity Quartz or Alumina tube through the port. With vacuum flanges attached, the furnace can now perform CVD, Annealing under Argon, or Hydrogen reduction, allowing you to protect reactive sodium compounds from oxygen and moisture.

References:

C. A. Calderón, et al., Electrochemical comparison of LiFePO4 synthesized by a solid-state method using either microwave heating or a tube furnace, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 2017, 47, 1179–1188.

Y. Lee, et al., In-depth approach and establishment from a structural perspective of LiFePO4 cathodes for lithium-ion batteries by a two-step sintering, Journal of Power Sources, 2024, 624, 235524