Al current collectors are widely adopted in nonaqueous batteries because of their low cost, high conductivity, and low density, yet their deployment in aqueous congeners (i.e., Zn-ion batteries) is largely precluded by concurrent issues of surface passivation and electrolyte-driven corrosion. Here, an on-site N-doped carbon-skinned Al current collector (NC@Al) is developed to resolve this longstanding dilemma. Enabled by an ultrafast Joule heating process, elevated temperature carbonization could be completed in seconds without thermally deforming the Al substrate, which renders a dense and continuous double-sided NC overlayer, affording favorable interfacial adhesion. Combined theoretical calculations and experimental diagnostics verify the NC overlayer simultaneously helps suppress the Al passivation-corrosion issue and promote uniform Zn deposition. As a result, symmetric cells based on NC@Al exhibit durable cycling beyond 3500 h at 0.5 mA cm-2/0.25 mAh cm-2. When paired with an iodine cathode, our constructed pouch cells with an active material loading of 25 mg cm-2 sustain stable operation for 1000 cycles under a stringent N/P ratio of 1.77. Technoeconomic analysis further highlights the energy-efficiency advantage of our route in practical manufacturing. This work establishes a strategy for employing commercially available Al current collector materials toward aqueous batteries.
Meng et al. (2026) studied this question.