ESEM(이쌤)

Here, I list a few areas that I'm currently working on. You can refer to my publication list for more complete picture of what I've done in the past and where I may be headed in near future. Dendritic lithium (Li), characterized by vertically grown metallic structures, poses a serious challenge to the development of anode-free Li batteries. These needle-like formations not only create voids on current collectors but also raise significant safety concerns. Extensive dendritic growth increases the interfacial area exposed to electrolytes, accelerating side reactions and resulting in low Coulombic efficiency (CE) due to the accumulation of inactive Li. Traditionally, such growth has been attributed to sluggish Li-ion (Li⁺) transport in the electrolyte. When Li⁺ electro-adsorption at the electrode surface outpaces its movement through the bulk electrolyte, steep concentration gradients emerge, driving uneven Li⁺ flux and uncontrolled deposition. While many studies have attempted to alleviate this issue by introducing lithiophilic agents or optimizing electrolyte formulations, the definition of "lithiophilicity" has often been misinterpreted—its original meaning referred to the wettability of molten Li on host materials, rather than its influence on deposition behavior. As an example, we take a fundamentally different approach by focusing on the surface migration of Li adatoms—a previously overlooked factor in lithium growth dynamics. Using single-crystal Cu(111) foil as a model current collector, we demonstrate that Li adatoms experience minimal migration barriers, allowing them to move laterally and merge into uniform layers. This lateral growth, rather than vertical dendritic protrusion, significantly suppresses dendrite formation. We directly visualized this behavior as