- November 14, 2025
- By Daniela Benites
A team of University of Maryland electrochemistry researchers has discovered that an overlooked phenomenon can enable fast charging in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, a milestone that was published Thursday in the journal Science.
The research led by Distinguished University Professor Chunsheng Wang in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering clears a path toward better batteries for electric vehicles—a technological deficit now preventing their wider adoption.
In their paper, the researchers revealed that a process called “electro-osmotic drag,” widely known to occur in fuel cells, also affects lithium-ion batteries and plays a decisive role in limiting how quickly thick, energy-dense electrodes can be charged. Building on this insight, the team developed an electrolyte design that achieved 80% charge within 13 minutes without compromising the battery’s energy density.
This represents a step forward for commercial EV batteries, which currently take 20 to 100 times longer to recharge compared to refueling gasoline-powered vehicles. To enable the wider electrification of vehicles, battery design must achieve a full charge in fewer than 15 minutes without compromising energy density.
“It’s a breakthrough that brings fast, reliable electric-vehicle charging closer to everyday reality,” said Wang.
This work reframes the challenge of fast charging; it’s not only about ion transport, but also about maintaining solvent continuity under non-equilibrium conditions.
“The recognition of electro-osmotic drag overpotential provides a new conceptual foundation for electrolyte design, suggesting broader implications for technologies such as flow batteries, electrorefining, and membrane-based separations,” said Chang-Xin Zhao, postdoctoral researcher and first author of the paper.
The UMD team collaborated on this discovery with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, SAFT America and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.