TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Materials: The amorphous phase further comprises aluminum and the transition metal. The sixth element comprises cerium, lanthanum, praseodymium, and/or neodymium. The nanocrystalline phase is substantially free of silicon, elemental tin, elemental indium, and/or binary tin-indium compound.Preferred Compositions: The alloy composition has a single amorphous phase and a single nanocrystalline phase, and further comprises less than 1 mol.% percent alkaline earth metal, alkaline metal, and particles having maximum average dimension of 1-60 microns. It is of formula SiaAlbTcSndlneMfLig (I).a=35-70, preferably 55-65;b=1-45, preferably 10-20;T=transition metal;c=5-25;d=1-15;e=less than or equal to15;M=Y, lanthanide element, and/or actinide element;f=2-15;a+b+c+d+e+f=100; andg=0-(4.4(a+d+e)+b).The anode further comprises an organic binder comprising a polyimide, and lithium metal.Preferred Methods: Providing the alloy composition comprises melt spinning the silicon, aluminum, tin, the transition metal element, and the sixth element; initially forming a totally amorphous precursor material and then annealing the precursor material to prepare the mixture of the amorphous phase and the nanocrystalline phase; forming a precursor material; and annealing the precursor material to remove the additional crystalline phase. EXAMPLE - An alloy composition Si60Al14Fe8TiInSn6(MM)10 was prepared by mixing 17.606 g of silicon chips, 3.947 g of aluminum shot, 4.668 g of iron lumps, 0.500 g titanium sponge, 7.441 g tin shot, 1.200 g indium, and 14.639 g of mischmetal chunks. The mixture was melted together on a carbon hearth in an argon filled arc furnace. The resulting ingot had a composition of Si60Al14Fe8TiInSn6(MM)10 and was broken into pieces having dimensions of 1 cm in all directions. The ingots were then further processed by melt spinning in a melt-spinning apparatus. After placing 15 g of the ingot in a crucible, the melt spinning apparatus was evacuated and then filled with helium gas. The ingot was melted. Ribbon strips were formed that had a width of 1 mm and a thickness of 10 microns. The X-ray diffraction pattern shows that the alloy contained an amorphous phase and a nanocrystalline phase.