Job Title

QpiVoltais seeking a Sodium-Ion Battery Engineer to drive the development, optimization, and scale-up of sodium-ion battery materials and cells, with particular focus on hard carbon anodes, electrolyte–SEI engineering, ICE improvement, and pilot-line pouch cell fabrication. This role requires strong hands-on experimental capability, deep electrochemical understanding, and the ability to translate lab-scale insights into pilot-line-ready processes.Key ResponsibilitiesSodium-Ion Anode & Electrochemistry  Design, synthesize, and optimize hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries  Evaluate doped hard carbons (e.g., N-doped carbons) and their impact on ICE, SEI, and kinetics  Study Na storage mechanisms, voltage profiles, and irreversible capacity loss  Develop strategies to improve Initial Coulombic Efficiency (ICE) and cycle stabilityElectrolyte & Interface Engineering  Develop and optimize carbonate- and ether-based Na-ion electrolytes  Investigate SEI formation mechanisms on hard carbon  Evaluate electrolyte additives and their impact on ICE and aging  Address Na inventory loss and interfacial degradationCell Development (Coin → Pouch)  Assemble and test coin cells and pouch cells  Perform electrode balancing (N/P ratio), loading optimization, and thickness optimization  Implement and evaluate pre-sodiation strategies  Analyze full-cell degradation mechanismsCharacterization & Failure Analysis  Conduct electrochemical testing: CV, GCD, EIS, GITT  Perform materials characterization: XRD, SEM/EDS, BET, Raman, XPS  Carry out post-mortem analysis on aged cells  Correlate materials properties with cell-level performancePilot-Line & Scale-Up  Translate lab-scale processes to pilot-line-compatible workflows  Support slurry formulation, coating, drying, calendering, and stacking  Work closely with process, equipment, and quality teams  Improve batch consistency, yield, and reproducibilityRequired QualificationsEducation  MTech / MS in Electrochemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines  Strong fundamentals of sodium-ion battery chemistry  Hands-on experience with hard carbon anodes  Deep understanding of ICE loss mechanisms and SEI chemistry  Experience with coin and pouch cell assembly  Strong electrochemical data analysis capability  Experience with nitrogen-doped or engineered hard carbons  Pre-sodiation techniques (chemical, electrochemical, sacrificial additives)  Knowledge of Na-ion cathodes (Prussian blue analogs, layered oxides, polyanion systems)  Pilot-line or scale-up exposure  Familiarity with DOE and statistical process control