Electrodeposition and electropolishing of aluminum are achieved simultaneously in the ionic liquid composed of anhydrous aluminum chloride and trimethylamine hydrochloride. With the protection of a hydrocarbon layer, the process can be carried out under ambient atmosphere. As a result, a smooth mirror-like surface with the roughness only several nanometers is obtained on the anode Al and a uniform Al coating with the thickness about 5 mu m is covered on the cathode. Importantly, this work presents the recycling of Al resource in a closed system. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.