As a first step to study the effect of the formation, we consider the hypothesis from Kasse et al that the physical nanostructure, rather than the chemistry, of the formation layer guides the growth. Their hypothesis is based on the similarity of XPS results of samples with-, and without use of the additive. To examine this, we prepare the surface by keeping the working electrode at a certain potential until a total charge of -10 mC/cm 2 is achieved, which is approximately the total charge before the onset of lithium nucleation in our galvanostatic electrodeposition (SI-1). After this formation step, the sample is rinsed with anhydrous PC, dried in vacuum, and the surface is characterized using AFM. The AFM is situated inside an N2/Ar glovebox and samples are transported in sealed vessel to ensure that the surface is not affected by exposure to ambient air.