Researchers develop adaptive electric vehicle charging method to reduce battery degradation

Researchers from IIT Gandhinagar have developed an adaptive EV battery charging strategy that addresses charging efficiency, battery safety, and long-term durability of lithium-ion batteries under diverse operating conditions

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar

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Illustration of the degradation process associated with lithium plating and the factors that cause this mechanism

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Credit: Please credit the Smart Power Electronics Laboratory, IIT Gandhinagar.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have developed an adaptive charging strategy for lithium-ion batteries that could help Electric Vehicles (EVs) charge efficiently while reducing a major cause of battery degradation known as lithium plating. Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Energy Storage, the study introduces a self-adjusting charging framework that dynamically protects batteries from internal degradation while optimising charging efficiency and time across varying temperature and health conditions.

Lithium plating occurs when a lithium-ion battery is charged too quickly, in cold conditions, or when it is operated at a high state of charge. Instead of entering into the graphite anode, lithium accumulates as a metallic layer on the anode’s surface. This permanently reduces cell capacity and can form needle-like growths that pierce the cell’s internal components, triggering short-circuits or thermal fires.

“Fast charging is one of the most important expectations users have from electric vehicles today, but aggressive charging can accelerate battery degradation,” said Mr Shiv Shankar Sinha, lead and corresponding author of the study. He is a doctoral scholar at IITGN’s Department of Electrical Engineering and is part of the Smart Power Electronics Laboratory. 

“Conventional charging systems often use fixed charging patterns that do not adapt to changing battery conditions. But batteries are not static systems. Their behaviour changes with temperature, operating history, and age,” said Prof Pallavi Bharadwaj, Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Principal Investigator of Smart Power Electronics Laboratory. 

To address the challenge, the team developed an optimised, five-step adaptive Multi-Step Constant Current (MSCC) charging strategy. Unlike conventional, rigid charging profiles that assume a battery is permanently new and operating at room temperature, this new algorithm adjusts its step thresholds at the beginning of every charging process based on the battery’s real-time State of Age (SOA) and Battery Ambient Temperature (BAT). The proposed framework acts as an intelligent supervisor. It identifies the exact, shifting voltage threshold where lithium plating is about to trigger under any given weather or health condition, and instantly commands the charger to step down to a safer current level to prevent lithium plating and potential physical damage.

To identify the onset of lithium plating, the researchers developed a monitoring approach based on changes in the battery’s internal impedance. Using Rest-Interrupted Constant Current (RICC) testing, the charging current was briefly paused at regular intervals to measure subtle impedance variations associated with plating onset. The team then used the Taguchi method, a statistical optimisation technique widely used in engineering design, to determine the optimal charging currents for the multi-step charging profile.

The proposed charging strategy was experimentally validated using commercial Panasonic NCR18650B nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) lithium-ion cells across a wide plating-prone operating temperature range, from -5°C to 25°C, and battery ageing conditions ranging from fresh cells to 15% degraded cells. 

According to the study, the proposed charging strategy improved charge capacity utilisation by 10.65% and charging efficiency by 0.55% compared to a conventional plating-aware charging approach. The researchers also observed that the system effectively suppressed lithium plating across a broad range of temperatures and battery ageing conditions. “This strategy shifts part of the safety burden from hardware-intensive protection systems to an intelligent software framework, which can be integrated within the battery management system,” said Mr Sinha. 

The practical value of this research is directly tied to major shifts in public policy and automotive infrastructure, both in India and across the globe. The country’s electric mobility ambitions, under initiatives such as Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME), the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage, and the expansion of public charging infrastructure, will increasingly require battery systems that can withstand diverse climatic conditions and long-term operational stress. Adaptive charging technologies could help improve battery durability, reduce lifecycle costs for EV users, and strengthen the sustainability of India’s emerging battery ecosystem.

Globally, the research also connects to growing efforts to improve the durability and sustainability of nickel-rich lithium-ion batteries, which continue to power many long-range electric vehicles because of their high energy density.

As EV manufacturers push toward shorter charging times and longer battery warranties, managing the trade-off between charging speed and battery health is becoming increasingly important. The IITGN study suggests that future advances in electric mobility may rely on smarter charging systems capable of adapting to battery operating conditions in real time.

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Journal

Journal of Energy Storage

DOI

10.1016/j.est.2026.122340 

Article Title

Development of an optimized adaptive multi-step constant current charging strategy to prevent lithium plating in lithium-ion batteries

 

Protection for newborns: New treatment aims to prevent meningitis without antibiotics

ETH Zurich

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Newborn meningitis is one of the most dangerous childhood infections. It is often life-threatening and can cause serious and lasting damage, including developmental problems, in the children who survive. Although meningitis is thankfully rare in newborns as a whole, it is more common in premature babies, affecting one in every 500 such infants in industrialised economies and likely more in developing countries.

One of the leading pathogens responsible for these meningitis cases is the K1 form of the E. coli bacterium. Now, researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Basel have developed an approach that seeks to prevent transmission to newborns.

To understand this approach, we need to start in the adult intestine: in one in three healthy adults, E. coli K1 is part of the intestinal flora. As a silent cohabitant, the bacterium causes no problems in this environment. It is kept in check by other bacteria and a functioning immune system.

However, if the pathogen is carried by an expectant mother, it can be transmitted to the child during birth and enter its intestine. In premature babies whose immune systems are still weak, the pathogen can enter the bloodstream and migrate to the brain, where it causes severe inflammation.

First weaken the pathogen, then fight it

Researchers led by Emma Slack, Professor of Mucosal Immunology at ETH Zurich, and Médéric Diard, Professor of Infection Biology at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, want to stop transmission from happening in the first place. Their idea is to eliminate the pathogen in pregnant women who carry it in their intestine – but that’s easier said than done.

A year ago, the two researchers from Zurich and Basel had already jointly developed a concept for eradicating other pathogens living in the intestine (as ETH News reported). Back then, they used a combination therapy with two components: an oral vaccination that weakens the pathogenic bacterium, followed by a dose of harmless microbes that compete with the weakened pathogen for food, starve it out, and ultimately supersede it. In experiments on mice, the researchers demonstrated that this approach can eliminate certain salmonellas and E. coli strains in the intestine.  

So tough that three components are needed

However, the K1 form of E. coli is a formidable opponent: unlike other E. coli bacteria, it is protected by a slippery outer layer. This prevents the antibodies generated by the oral vaccination from attacking the bacterium.

The team of researchers led by Slack and Diard therefore extended its previous two-pronged approach with a third component known as bacteriophages (or simply phages). These are viruses that specifically infect and kill bacteria.

However, the bacteria can make changes to themselves in order to evade the danger posed by these viruses. The phages attack the bacteria by docking to the protective layer, and the bacteria seek to prevent this by undergoing a sort of rapid evolution in which this layer is disposed of. Rapid in this case means that, since the bacteria are so numerous and multiply so quickly, they need fewer than 24 hours to adapt. 

“This is essentially a resistance mechanism that the bacteria deploy against the phages,” says Slack. “We use this mechanism to our advantage: the antibodies formed by the oral vaccination are effective against K1 bacteria that no longer have their protective coating.”

Most young animals protected

The project involved searching for effective strains of phages. Scientists generally find phages in places that are home to lots of bacteria: nutrient-rich bodies of water, the intestinal flora or, very often, waste water and waste water treatment plants. When it comes to the phages used in this study, the researchers from the Biozentrum in Basel found what they were looking for in waste water samples from the treatment plant of the Lucerne conurbation. From such a sample, their lab work successfully isolated several phages that are particularly effective at attacking the bacterium E. coli K1.

In experiments with pregnant mice, which the researchers had previously infected with pathogenic E. coli K1, they were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of their triple-pronged treatment. The researchers first gave the mice phages that forced the bacteria to cast off their protective shell. Second, they administered an oral vaccination that produced antibodies in the intestine in order to weaken the bacteria. Third, they gave them a harmless probiotic bacterium that could compete against the weakened bacteria and occupy their ecological niche in the intestine.

In a control experiment in which the researchers did not treat the mothers, E. coli K1 was transmitted to 83 percent of young animals at birth. By contrast, the triple-pronged treatment significantly reduced the level of E. coli K1 in the mothers’ intestines, such that the pathogen was only transmitted to 23 percent of the young animals. The remaining offspring were protected.

Works even when antibiotics fail

The researchers are now keen to continue with their approach in order to develop a treatment for humans. In a world in which effective antibiotics are becoming increasingly scarce, we need new therapeutic approaches, says Slack. “Bacteria such as E. coli K1 are difficult to tackle. Our approach is potentially the only one that can be used to fight this pathogen and others without antibiotics.”

Not only can E. coli K1 cause cases of meningitis in newborns, which today must be treated with antibiotics in a race against time. It is also one of the most frequent causes of cystitis and pyelitis – infections that can also lead to serious cases of sepsis. 

The ETH professor doesn’t perceive any major obstacles to developing an effective treatment for humans: “Oral vaccinations, probiotics and even phages are all already used in medicine,” she says. It will also be possible, she adds, to pack all three components into a single capsule that people can simply swallow.

Moreover, the scientists are planning projects in which they want to use the same approach to tackle bacteria other than E. coli K1, including multi-resistant pathogens, against which many antibiotics are no longer effective.

This research project was supported by the Basel Research Centre for Child Health. 

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-026-70808-2 

Article Title

Phage-steering permits antibody-mediated clearance of E. coli K1 from the gut

 

New study improves scientists’ ability to reconstruct how the climate and ocean circulation changed in the past

Researchers at iC3 have found a way to improve records of past high latitude ocean change using tiny plankton shells called foraminifera

iC3 Polar Research Hub

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Freya Sykes (lead author)

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Credit: Freya Sykes

Researchers at iC3 have found a way to improve records of past high latitude ocean change using tiny plankton shells called foraminifera.

 

By growing these foraminifera under controlled cold-water conditions, the team has extended a key temperature tool into the range most relevant for subpolar and polar oceans. The study’s results matter for anyone using marine sediments to reconstruct past climate, ocean circulation and carbon cycle change.

 

A calibration for colder seas

 

The study led by Freya Sykes focused on Globigerina bulloides, a widespread species of foraminifera whose habitat ranges from the sub-tropics to the sub-polar regions.

 

Foraminifera are single-celled plankton that build their shells from elements within the seawater. When foraminifera die, their shells can sink to the seafloor and become part of the sediment archive. Scientists later analyse the shell chemistry to infer past ocean conditions.

 

One of the most useful chemical signals in Globigerina bulloides shells is the ratio between magnesium and calcium. In simple terms, more magnesium often points to warmer water.

 

However, most existing calibrations were developed using warmer-water specimens. That makes them less reliable in the Nordic Seas, the subpolar North Atlantic and other cold regions.

 

The new study extends laboratory-based magnesium-to-calcium calibration for Globigerina bulloides down to 6°C. It also shows that specimens from the Norwegian Sea are more sensitive to temperature than expected from earlier warm-water studies.

 

Local calibration matters

 

“The main message for other scientists is that calibrations aren’t universal, and need to be developed for the environment they’re applied in,” says Freya. “If we use a warm-water equation to read a cold-water shell, we risk building a climate story on the wrong scale.”

 

The research builds on Freya’s earlier iC3 work showing that Globigerina bulloides can follow different life strategies that influence the chemical signals in the shells that they leave behind. That earlier finding matters because shells of different sizes may record different time windows in the ocean.

 

The new paper adds the chemical calibration needed to read those windows more accurately.

 

Beyond one-size-fits-all proxies

 

The study also gives researchers a useful warning.

 

Sodium-to-calcium ratios did not provide a clear salinity signal under the tested conditions. Instead, sodium fell as temperature rose, and it was also affected by seawater chemistry. That means sodium should not be used as a simple salinity tool in this species.

 

However, sodium may still be useful. It could provide an independent check on temperature estimates, especially when combined with magnesium and when scientists have good information about seawater chemistry.

 

“A good proxy is not just a number,” says Adele Westgård, a co-author on the new study. “It is a tested relationship between biology, chemistry and the environment. Our publication helps researchers see where the relationship is strong, and where it needs more caution.”

 

Adele recently published a separate study showing that another polar foraminifera species can grow an outer shell crust with a different chemical signal from the shell beneath it.

 

Biology inside the climate archive

 

Better shell calibrations help scientists to explore potential climate links with greater confidence.

 

“This study reminds us that the shell is a living archive, not a passive recorder,” says Freya. “To use shells well, we need to understand both the ocean conditions and the organism that made the shell.”

 

The team grew living plankton in the Foraminifera Culturing Lab in Tromsø at controlled temperatures, salinities and seawater chemistry.

 

They used a barium label to identify shell material grown during the experiment, and laser-based mass spectrometry to measure magnesium, sodium and strontium in small parts of individual shells. This allowed them to link shell chemistry directly to known growth conditions.

 

“Our broader goal is to develop the Tromsø culturing laboratory into an international hub for experimentally grounded proxy development,” says Mohamed Ezat, who leads the laboratory.

 

“By combining culturing experiments, geochemistry and paleoceanography, we can better understand the biological and environmental processes behind the climate signals recorded in marine archives.”

 

How other scientists can use the findings

 

For scientists working with sediment cores, the most immediate use is practical. The new calibration can improve cold-ocean temperature reconstructions using Globigerina bulloides. The study also helps researchers choose better proxy combinations, test older records, and avoid using sodium as a simple salinity indicator in this species.

 

For laboratory scientists, the paper points to the next experiments. Future work can test different genetic types, other ocean basins, and more tightly separated effects of temperature, salinity and seawater chemistry.

 

For modellers and policy-facing researchers, the benefit is better evidence. More reliable past ocean records can help establish how polar oceans responded to earlier warm periods, freshwater input and changing circulation. That improves the long-term context for today’s rapid Arctic and subpolar change.

 

Find out more

 

The paper “Constraining environmental controls on the incorporation of Mg, Na and Sr in cultured Globigerina bulloides: implications for biomineralisation and high latitude palaeoceanography” is available open access in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.

 

Lead author Freya Sykes works on foraminifera and past ocean change. Co-author Adele Westgård researches past climate change, polar ocean conditions, geochemistry and marine ecology. Co-author Mohamed Ezat leads the Foraminifera Culturing Lab as part of the ARCLIM project and the new PlasmaLab; he works on past climate variability and ocean circulation in the Nordic Seas.  

 

All three are part of an iC3 research unit that investigates how past changes in ice sheets affected the global carbon cycle and marine ecosystems. They are based at the Geosciences Department of UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø.

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Journal

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

DOI

10.1016/j.gca.2026.05.022 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Constraining environmental controls on the incorporation of Mg, Na and Sr in cultured Globigerina bulloides: implications for biomineralisation and high latitude palaeoceanography

Article Publication Date

1-Jun-2026

 

Weight loss drugs risk widening health inequalities

University College London

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Drugs such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are transforming obesity treatment, but without affordable, healthy food and appropriate support, they could widen health inequalities in the UK, according to researchers at UCL and the University of Cambridge.

In a correspondence published in Nature Medicine, the researchers argue that while incretin-based therapies, also known as weight loss medications, have transformed obesity treatment, their long-term benefits may depend on factors beyond the medications themselves.

Access to nutrition advice, healthy food, and ongoing healthcare support are all likely to shape whether patients can use the drugs safely and maintain health improvements over time, the team argues.

Senior author Dr Adrian Brown (UCL Medicine) said: “We have highlighted that obesity treatment is not just a medical issue, but a social and structural one. Without integrated dietary support and attention to food affordability, these medications could deepen existing health inequalities.

“The key message is clear: these treatments are powerful, but their long-term public health impact will depend on whether the right support systems are in place to ensure equitable and safe access for all patients.”

The authors warn that healthier diets are often more expensive, creating additional barriers for people already facing food insecurity or financial hardship.

According to a study by UCL researchers in January 2026, an estimated 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro to help lose weight between early 2024 and early 2025. An additional 3.3 million people said they would be interested in using weight loss drugs over the next year. Mounjaro (containing tirzepatide) typically costs £200 a month so is unaffordable for many.

Lead author Dr Marie Spreckley (University of Cambridge) said: “The key question is not simply who can access these medications, but who can benefit from them in the long term. If access to healthy food, nutrition support and ongoing care is uneven, there is a risk that the benefits of these treatments will also be uneven.”

Researchers underline the danger of a growing “two-tier system” in obesity treatment, where some people can access medication alongside comprehensive support and continuity of care, while others face significant barriers to both.

Dr Spreckley continues: “If we want these therapies to reduce health inequalities rather than widen them, equitable access to support must be considered alongside equitable access to medication.”

Patients living in more deprived areas often face greater barriers to healthcare and healthy food access, while also experiencing a higher burden of obesity-related illness.

Large clinical trials have shown that incretin-based therapies can produce substantial and sustained weight loss alongside improvements in metabolic health. However, the correspondence warns that outcomes in everyday life may differ significantly depending on a patient’s social and economic circumstances.

Medications commonly reduce appetite and food intake and can cause gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and early satiety. Without appropriate dietary guidance and monitoring, reduced food intake may increase the risk of poor dietary quality, inadequate nutrient intake and loss of lean body mass in some individuals.

Co-author, Dr Cara Ruggiero (Cambridge University) said: “Food insecurity remains a major reality in the UK effecting 12% of UK households. Healthier foods tend to cost more, and we cannot ignore this critical context.

“Guidance that assumes everyone can afford and access healthy food risks being unrealistic and inequitable. We need to make sure these treatments come with proper support, including nutrition advice and help accessing healthy food since food insecurity is shaping the health of patients before they ever reach the clinic.”

The authors conclude, as the use of incretin-based therapies continues to grow, ensuring that all patients can access the support needed to use them safely and effectively will become an increasingly important public health priority.

 

Notes to editors

For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact: Tom Cramp, Media Relations Manager, T: +447586 711698, E: t.cramp@ucl.ac.uk

The correspondence Incretin therapies, nutrition, and food insecurity in the UK, Marie Spreckley, Cara F. Ruggiero, Adrian Brown, will be published in Nature Medicine on Monday 1st June, 2026, 10:00 BST time / 05:00 Eastern Standard Time.

It will be available via this link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04426-2

 

About University College London (UCL)

UCL is a global top 10 university, set up in London 200 years ago to offer education for all. Today, we gather 60,000 staff and students, from over 150 countries, to create a unique city within a city – a research and innovation powerhouse that leads the world in subjects spanning the arts, sciences, technology and the humanities. We’ve nurtured 33 Nobel Prize winners, because here, brave ideas have the scale and the support they need to succeed. We are University College London. And here, it can happen. 

UCL turns 200 in 2026. Join us for a year of bicentennial events and celebration. 

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Journal

Nature Medicine

DOI

10.1038/s41591-026-04426-2 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Incretin therapies, nutrition and food insecurity in the UK

Article Publication Date

1-Jun-2026

 

TikTok content supports “illicit vape subculture” among teens

University of East Anglia

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Eleanor Bray, Research Associate at the University of East Angla

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Credit: University of East Anglia

TikTok content normalises illegal vaping among young people – according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). 

A new study shows that young people are far more likely to encounter illicit vaping content portrayed as normal, humorous and harmless on TikTok. 

Meanwhile evidence-based health advice on official health and education websites may fail to cut through the digital noise. 

That gap may be putting young audiences at risk, just weeks after The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 received royal assent, the team say. 

Dr Emma Ward, from UEA’s Norwich Medical School, said: “Our research shows that young people encounter very different messages about illicit vapes depending on where they look online.  

“While health and education websites tend to provide accurate, well-intentioned information about vaping in general, there is comparatively less information available about illicit vaping.  

“In contrast, TikTok content is far less regulated and often presents illegal vaping as conventional or even desirable. 

“These TikTok videos attract significant attention and can feed into an emerging illicit vape subculture, where young people exchange tips, experiences, and ways to bypass age restrictions.” 

The research found that some sellers actively glamorise illicit devices by marketing them as part of cosmetic or confectionery‑style ‘bundles’, a tactic the researchers say is designed to evade age verification. 

Dr Ward said: “This fragmented online environment is concerning. When accurate information is hard to find or feels unappealing, young people may turn instead to content that is more engaging but also more misleading, particularly on fast-growing video platforms like TikTok.”                 

How was the study carried out?  

To reflect what young people may encounter online, the researchers conducted systematic searches across both Google and TikTok. 

Educational and health websites were identified by reviewing the first six pages of Google search results, while TikTok content was analysed using popular hashtags linked to illicit vaping, including #noIDvape and #puffbundles. 

Research Associate, Eleanor Bray, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said: “By analysing both Google search results and TikTok content, we were able to compare formal health messaging with the informal content young people are most likely to consume day‑to‑day. 

“What stood out was how inconsistently illicit vaping is addressed across platforms. On TikTok, illegal products were sometimes actively glamorised, with vendors marketing devices through ‘bundle’ deals designed to evade age verification.” 

A Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Representative (PPIE) with lived experience of vaping helped by looking over the findings and ensuring they accurately reflect youth experiences and relevance. 

Why does the research matter?  

The findings highlight an uneven online information landscape where accurate health advice struggles to compete with highly engaging social media content that can normalise or glamorise illegal vaping.  

Dr Ward said: “With the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, our findings arrive at a critical moment. The research suggests that legislation alone will not be enough if video based platforms continue to expose young audiences to unregulated and misleading content.” 

Rather than turning away from social media, the researchers argue it should be embraced as part of the solution. 

Eleanor Bray said: “Public health messaging is more likely to be effective when it works with young people and the platforms they already use. To protect young audiences, we need online information that is not only accurate, but also accessible, engaging and relevant to their everyday lives.” 

This research was led by UEA’s Norwich Medical School.  

‘#NoIDVape: A content analysis of illicit vape messaging in young people’s information sources’ is published in Addiction Journal.  

ENDS 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

1/ For more information or to request an interview, please contact the UEA Communications office by emailing communications@uea.ac.uk. 

2/ A copy of the paper is available via the following Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/6iaovpez9d50arp5r2uie/AOqmF39bXP1Wdv8sgTDwJns?rlkey=ugb6b56083nr1ngrharbb5pio&st=gxo8kpzg&dl=0

3/ The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a UK Top 25 university for research quality (Times Higher Education Rankings 2026) and UK 26th in the Complete University Guide. It also ranks in the World Top 60 (QS World Rankings for Sustainability 2025) and the World Top 20 for reduced inequalities and World Top 200 (Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025). Known for its world-leading research and good student experience, its 360-acre campus has won nine Green Flag awards in a row for its high environmental standards. The University is a leading member of Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest concentrations of researchers in the fields of environment, health and plant science. www.uea.ac.uk.    

 

 

 

 

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Journal

Addiction

DOI

10.1111/add.70476 

Method of Research

Data/statistical analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

‘#NoIDVape: A content analysis of illicit vape messaging in young people’s information sources’

Article Publication Date

1-Jun-2026