Uncontrollable dendrite growth resulting from the non-uniform lithium ion (Li+) flux and volume expansion in lithium metal (Li) negative electrode leads to rapid performance degradation and serious safety problems of lithium metal batteries.Although N-containing functional groups in carbon materials are reported to be effective to homogenize the Li+ flux,the effective interaction distance between lithium ions and N-containing groups should be relatively small (down to nanometer scale) according to the Debye length law.Thus,it is necessary to carefully design the microstructure of N-containing carbon materials to make the most of their roles in regulating the Li+ flux.In this work,porous carbon nitride microspheres (PCNMs) with abundant nanopores have been synthesized and utilized to fabricate a uniform lithiophilic coating layer having hybrid pores of both the nano-and micrometer scales on the Cu/Li foil.Physically,the three-dimensional (3D) porous framework is favorable for absorbing volume changes and guiding Li growth.Chemically,this coating layer can render a suitable interaction distance to effectively homogenize the Li+ flux and contribute to establishing a robust and stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer with Li-F,Li-N,and Li-O-rich contents based on the Debye length law.Such a physical-chemical synergic regulation strategy using PCNMs can lead to dendrite-free Li plating,resulting in a low nucleation overpotential and stable Li plating/stripping cycling performance in both the Li‖Cu and the Li‖Li symmetric cells.Meanwhile,a full cell using the PCNM coated Li foil negative electrode and a LiFePO4 positive electrode has delivered a high capacity retention of ～ 80％ after more than 200 cycles at 1 C and achieved a remarkable rate capability.The pouch cell fabricated by pairing the PCNM coated Li foil negative electrode with a NCM 811 positive electrode has retained ～ 73％ of the initial capacity after 150 cycles at 0.2 C.