TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Battery: The battery is a primary battery, a secondary battery, where the secondary battery is assembled in a charged state; and where the secondary battery maintains a discharge capacity of at least 50% of an initial discharge capacity after 50 discharge cycles. The battery comprises: an aluminum metal anode; a lambda -MnO2 cathode capable of intercalating lithium ions during a discharge cycle and de-intercalating the lithium ions during a charge cycle; and an ionic liquid electrolyte comprising lithium chloroaluminate dissolved in aluminum chloride and ethylmethylimidazolium tetrachloroaluminate, having a molar ratio of aluminum chloride to ethylmethylimidazolium tetrachloroaluminate greater than 1:1.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Electrolyte: The electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid. The electrolyte further comprises aluminum chloride, and the ratio of aluminum chloride to the aluminate is greater than 1:1. The electrolyte further comprises an alkali metal halide additive. The electrolyte comprises lithium chloroaluminate dissolved in an ionic liquid. The electrolyte comprises an organic solvent having a high dielectric constant. The electrolyte comprises lithium chloroaluminate dissolved in aluminum chloride and an ionic liquid aluminate selected from alkylimidazolium aluminates, alkylpyridinium aluminates, alkylfluoropyrazolium aluminates, alkyltriazolium aluminates, dialkylpiperidinium aluminates, aralkylammonium aluminates, alkylalkoxyammonium aluminates, aralkylphosphonium aluminates, and/or aralkylsulfonium aluminates; where the ratio of aluminum chloride to the ionic liquid aluminate is greater than 1:1. Preferred Components: The cathode material is selected from Mn2O4, Ti(AlCl4)2, MnCl(AlCl4), Co(AlCl4)2, vanadium pentaoxide (V2O5), and LiMxOy. The cathode material comprises spinel-Mn2O4 and V2O5. The ionic liquid is an aluminate selected from alkylimidazolium aluminates, alkylpyridinium aluminates, alkylfluoropyrazolium aluminates, alkyltriazolium aluminates, aralkylammonium aluminates, dialkylpiperidinium aluminates, alkylalkoxyammonium aluminates, aralkylphosphonium aluminates, and/or aralkylsulfonium aluminates. The alkali metal halide additive is selected from lithium chloride (LiCl), lithium chloroaluminate, sodium chloride (NaCl), potassium chloride (KCl), and/or ammonium chloride (NH4Cl). The ionic liquid comprises ethylmethylimidazolium tetrachloroaluminate. The ionic liquid comprises: a cation having structures of formulae (i), (ii), (iii) and R1-N+((R2)(R4))-R3 (iv), and an anion of structures: AlCl4-, CF3SO3-, B(CO2)4-, N(SO2CF2CF3)2-, N(SO2CF3)2-, N(SO2F)2-, PF6-, BF4-, and BF4-x(CnF2n+1)x-.R1-R4=non-ionizable substituent;x=1-3;n=1-10.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - The anode is an aluminum metal alloy. The aluminum metal alloy comprises an element selected from copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, titanium, and/or zinc.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The organic solvent is selected from propylene carbonate, ethylmethylsulfone, ethylmethoxyethylsulfone, and methoxyethylmethylsulfone. EXAMPLE - No suitable example given.