The severe corrosion accompanied with hydrogen evolution reaction has become the main obstacle restricting the utilization of zinc as an electrode in alkaline batteries. Al₂O₃ coating helps control the corrosion of zinc in alkaline solution. Herein, a stable Al₂O₃ coating is fabricated through facile electrospinning from Al(NO₃)₃ as an efficient anti-corrosion film on zinc. The electrospinning technique facilitates uniform dispersion of Al₂O₃ particles, therefore the corrosion inhibition efficiency could be up to 88.5% in this work. The Al₂O₃ coating prevents direct contact between zinc and the alkaline solution and minimize hydrogen evolution. Further, the effects of the thickness of Al₂O₃ coating on corrosion behavior of zinc are investigated through hydrogen evolution reaction, Tafel polarization, and impedance test. The results show that the thicker Al₂O₃ coating possessed better corrosion inhibition efficiency due to the higher corrosion resistance and lower porosity. The 18 μm Al₂O₃ coating on zinc provides corrosion current density of 60.6 mA/cm², while the bare zinc substrate delivers as much as 526.3 mA/cm².This study presents a promising approach for fabricating Al₂O₃ coating for corrosion-resistant applications.

High demand for batteries with a wide operating temperature range is on the rise with the development of wearable electronic devices, especially electric vehicles used in cold regions. Al–air batteries for electric vehicles have triggered worldwide interest due to their excellent theoretical energy density and safety. In this study, the low-temperature performance of Al–air batteries is tested for the first time. The effects of temperature and electrolyte concentrations on the discharge performance are then studied in detail. The discharge voltage is significantly influenced by the temperature. The low temperature could significantly depress the hydrogen evolution reaction of Al anodes. The Al–air batteries reached an extraordinary capacity of 2480 mAh/g, with 31 wt% KOH electrolyte at −15 °C. Moreover, the Al–air batteries at 0 °C exhibited higher discharge voltage and power densities than those at 15 and −15 °C. This study provides an important reference for future studies to improve low-temperature performance of Al–air batteries.

Solid Al–air batteries are a promising power source for potable electronics due to their environmentally friendly qualities and high energy density. However, the solid Al–air battery suffers from anodic corrosion and it is difficult to achieve a higher specific capacity. Thus, this work aims at suppressing the corrosion of Al anode by adding an electrospun Al₂O₃ interlayer on to the surface of the anode. The Al₂O₃ interlayer effectively inhibits the self-corrosion of the Al anode. Further, the effects of the thickness of the Al₂O₃ film on corrosion behavior were investigated. The results showed that the Al–air battery with a 4 μm Al₂O₃ interlayer is more suitable for a low current density discharge, which could be applied for mini-watt devices. With a proper thickness of the Al₂O₃ interlayer, corrosion of the anode was considerably suppressed without sacrificing the discharge voltage at a low current density. The Al–air battery with a 4 μm Al₂O₃ interlayer provided a significantly high capacity (1255 mAh/g at 5 mA/cm²) and an excellent stability. This wo presents a promising approach for fabricating an inhibiting corrosion interlayer for solid Al–air battery designed for mini-watt devices.

Al-air batteries are regarded as potential power source for flexible and wearable devices. However, the traditional cathodes of Al-air batteries are easy to be broken after continuous bending. This is why few Al-air batteries have been tested under the state of dynamic bending so far. Herein, carbon nanofibers incorporated with Mn₃O₄ catalyst have been prepared as bending-resistant cathodes through direct electrospinning. The cathode assembled in Al-air battery showed excellent electrochemical and mechanical stability. A high specific capacity of 1021 mAh/cm² was achieved after bending 1000 times, which is 81.7% of that in platform state. This work will facilitate the progress of using Al-air battery in flexible electronics.