Horizontal\nLithium Electrodeposition on Atomically\nPolarized Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Both\nuncontrolled Li dendrite growth and corrosion are major obstacles\nto the practical application of Li-metal batteries. Despite numerous\nattempts to address these challenges, effective solutions for dendrite-free\nreversible Li electrodeposition have remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate\nthe horizontal Li electrodeposition on top of atomically polarized\nmonolayer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Theoretical investigations\nrevealed that the hexagonal lattice configuration and polarity of\nthe monolayer hBN, devoid of dangling bonds, reduced the energy barrier\nfor the surface diffusion of Li, thus facilitating reversible in-plane\nLi growth. Moreover, the single-atom-thick hBN deposited on a Cu current\ncollector (monolayer hBN/Cu) facilitated the formation of an inorganic-rich,\nhomogeneous solid electrolyte interphase layer, which enabled the\nuniform Li<sup>+</sup> flux and suppressed Li corrosion. Consequently,\nLi-metal and anode-free full cells containing the monolayer hBN/Cu\nexhibited improved rate performance and cycle life. This study suggests\nthat the monolayer hBN is a promising class of underlying seed layers\nto enable dendrite- and corrosion-free, horizontal Li electrodeposition\nfor sustainable Li-metal anodes in next-generation batteries.