TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The solvent comprises compound(s) chosen from 17 claimed compounds such as ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, ethylmethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, gamma-butyrolactone, gamma-valerolactone, alpha-acetyl-gamma-butyrolactone. 80 volume.% or more of the solvent comprises at least one non-aqueous solvent chosen from propylene carbonate and gamma-butyrolactone. The non-aqueous electrolyte additionally contains a carbonic acid ester additive or a sulfur compound additive. The non-aqueous electrolyte preferably contains a non-aqueous solvent, a solute and a surfactant. The non-aqueous solvent contains several cyclic compounds and the solute is a compound containing lithium as cation component. The cyclic compound is a mixture of at least two compounds chosen from cyclic esters, cyclic ethers, cyclic acid anhydrides and their derivatives. At least one of the cyclic compounds has melting point of less than -20 degrees C. The cyclic ester is chosen from 10 claimed compounds such as cyclic carbonic acid ester, cyclic nitrous acid ester and cyclic silicic acid ester. The solute contains a compound chosen from lithium hexafluorophosphate and lithium tetrafluoroborate and compound(s) chosen from lithium bis trifluoromethane sulfonimide having formula of ((CF3SO2)2NLi) and lithium bis pentafluoroethane sulfonimide of formula ((C2F5SO2)2NLi). The carbonic acid ester additive comprises compound(s) chosen from 12 claimed compounds such as chloroethylene carbonate, diethyl dicarbonate and phenylvinylene carbonate. The sulfur compound additive comprises compound(s) chosen from 9 claimed compounds ethylene sulfite, sulfolane and 1,4-butane sultone. The surfactant in the electrolyte is preferably a fluorine containing surfactant chosen from 13 claimed compounds such as fluoroalkyl 2-20C carboxylic acid, disodium N-perfluoro octanesulfonyl glutamate, monoperfluoro alkyl 6-16C ethyl phosphoric acid ester and perfluoro alkyl ethylene oxide adducts. The fluorine containing surfactant has formula of CnF2n+1SO2N(CmH2m+1)CH2CH2O(CH2CH2O)lH or CnF2n+1-X-(CH2CH2O)m-Ym = 1-4;n = 4-18;l = 5-25;m' = 2-100;R = 1-8C alkyl group;X = -CONH or SO2NR-;Y = H, OH, CH3, PO3, W2 or SO3;W = alkali metal;n = 3-10.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Properties: The apparatus has difference (gamma st-gamma ss) of less than 10 dynes/cm, where gamma ss' is surface free energy of separator interposed between electrodes. The surface tension of electrolyte is 10-45 dynes/cm. The electrochemical apparatus comprises solid elements having surface free energy of 1-35 dynes/cm, where surface tension of the electrolyte is 10-45 dynes/cm.Preferred Compounds: The solids elements are electrodes containing carbon material. The solid elements comprise cathode containing carbon material, anode containing lithium-containing metal oxide, and non-aqueous electrolyte containing non-aqueous solvent, solute and a fluorine containing surfactant. EXAMPLE - lithium cobaltate powder (85 weight percent (wt.%)), carbon powder (10 wt.%) and polyvinylidene fluoride (5 wt.%) were mixed and dispersed in dehydrated N-methylpyrrolidinone to form a slurry. The slurry was coated on a positive electrode current collector made of aluminum foil, dried and rolled to form an anode (A). Similarly, an anode (B) was prepared using slurry comprising lithium cobaltate powder (85 wt.%), carbon powder (10 wt.%) and polytetrafluoro ethylene (5 wt.%) in carboxy methyl cellulose solution. A droplet of each of ethanol, p-xylene, trimethyl phosphate, ethylene glycol, formamide and water was dropped on both the anodes, and evaluated for surface tension. The surface free energy of (A) was 28 dynes/cm and that of (B) was 20 dynes/cm. 5 different kinds of porous separators made of polyethylene (A-E) having surface free energies (in dyne/cm) of 20, 24, 27, 31 and 34 were prepared. Ethylene carbonate (EC) and gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) were mixed at a volume ratio of 1:3 and lithium hexafluorophosphate was dissolved to form 1.2M of LiPF6-EC/GBL electrolyte. Various surfactants in an amount of 0, 0.00001, 0.0001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 2 and 5 were added into the electrolyte. The surfactants were perfluoroalkyl-propyl carboxylic acid (A), lithium perfluoro-butyl sulfonate (B), N-propyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl) perfluorooctane sulfonamide (C), perfluoroalkyl ethylene oxide adduct (C8F17SO2N(C3H7)-CH2CH2O(CH2CH2O)10H) (D) and perfluorooctane-sulfonic acid diethanolamide (E). The surface tension of the electrolytes was measured. Further 0.2 g of graphite powder having average particle diameter of 5 mum was added to 50 ml of electrolytes and evaluated for sedimentation of graphite powder, after the electrolytes were left to stand. The result showed that surface tension of 0.00001 wt.% of (A and B) were 48 each, of (C and E) were 47 each, and of (D) was 46; and surface tension of 5 wt.% of (A) was 28, (B and C) were 25 each, (D) was 23 and (E) was 24. Complete sedimentation of graphite powder was observed for 0.1 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 2 wt.%, and 5 wt.%, of all the surfactants. On the whole, the improvement of wettability of graphite powder with the electrolyte was recognized when the surface tension of the electrolyte reached 45 dynes/cm or less, by adding surfactant. The preferred amount of the surface active agent for obtaining the effect to improve the wettability is 0.0001-2 wt.%.