The use of metallic lithium as an anode in batteries is one of the major challenges in research and development. In particular, the currently uncontrollable morphology of deposited lithium causes problems as it leads to internal short circuits and thus cell failure with a potential risk of fire. The aim of this project is to be able to understand growth at an early stage under electrochemical in-situ conditions with high spatial resolution. For this we use atomic force microscopy, which, in addition to morphology, allows the simultaneous recording of mechanical and electrochemical data. This, in conjunction with the results of the other German and American researchers involved, allows us to generate a more comprehensive understanding of the processes that occur on metallic lithium in liquid electrolytes and to significantly expand our understanding. In this project, IEK-9 also cooperates in Germany with the Helmholtz Institute Ulm, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the universities of Münster and Braunschweig and in the USA with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the National Labs PNNL, LBNL and ANL, and Texas A&M University.