Electrical heaters for exhaust aftertreatment systems and assemblies

An electrical heater comprising:

• a heater body comprising:
• a plurality of slots, each slot comprising a first end portion extending from an outer periphery of the heater body and a second end portion terminating within the heater body, each of the plurality of slots disconnecting some of the cells of the heater body from each other to define a serpentine current-carrying path through the heater body;
• a pair of electrode attachment sites at opposite ends of the serpentine current-carrying path;
• wherein the plurality of slots comprises one or more double-ended slots proximate correspondingly to one or both of the electrode attachment sites, each double-ended slot comprising two of the second end portions split off the from the first end portion, with the first end portion of the double-ended slot extending transversely with respect to the two second ends, and the serpentine current-carrying path is at least partially defined along the second end portions of the double-ended slot;
• wherein the double-ended slot creates a dead zone proximate to the corresponding electrode attachment site near the outer periphery of the heater body in which electrical current is blocked from traveling past the first end portion and thereby directed along the serpentine current-carrying path.