TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRONICS - Preferred Collector: The current collector further comprises a discrete carbon layer (108) deposited on the mixture layer; and a carbon layer deposited on the mixture layer coated on at least one of the two primary surfaces, where a mixture layer of lithium or lithium alloy and a stabilizing agent is coated on each of two primary surfaces. Preferred Process: The step of depositing lithium or its alloy and stabilizing agent is carried out by using physical vapor deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, ion beam deposition, electron beam deposition, and/or laser-assisted ablation deposition. Preferred Battery: In the lithium battery, the cathode does not contain a full capacity of lithium initially when the battery is assembled. The cathode contains no lithium initially when the battery is assembled.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The mixture layer has a thickness of 0.1 nm to 25 mu m (preferably less than 1 mu m). The mixture layer has a pattern of solid material regions and perforations or mixture material-free regions. The mixture layer or carbon layer is a continuous-length layer. The mixture layer and carbon layer do not fully cover at least one primary surface, leaving an amount of exposed substrate surface free from the mixture of lithium or lithium alloy and a stabilizing agent. The stabilizing agent is selected from an element in Groups 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the Periodic Table of Elements, including B, Al, Ga, In, C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi, Te, and/or transition metal (preferably C). The carbon (102) in the mixture layer is amorphous carbon. The conductive substrate is selected from a graphite layer, flexible graphite foil, foil of graphene sheets, foil of graphene oxide sheets, copper foil, nickel foil, stainless steel foil, nickel-coated stainless steel foil, copper-coated steel foil, titanium foil, chrome plated steel sheet, aluminum foil, carbon-coated aluminum foil, metal-coated polymer film, a porous nano-structured layer composed of graphene, graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, doped graphene, doped graphene oxide, carbon nano-fiber, carbon nano-tube, carbon black, activated carbon, disordered carbon, soft carbon, hard carbon, meso-phase carbon, nano carbon particle, and/or nano graphite particle. The anode active material is selected from: (a3) carbon, meso-phase carbon, soft carbon, hard carbon, carbon black, activated carbon, natural graphite, artificial graphite, pyrolytic graphite, exfoliated graphite flakes, graphite worm, carbon nano-fiber, carbon nanotube, graphene, graphene oxide, graphene fluoride, carbon fiber, graphite fiber, graphite whisker, and coke; (b3) Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn, Al, and Cd; and/or (d3) oxides, carbides, nitrides, sulfides, phosphides, selenides, and tellurides of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn, Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Co, and/or Cd. The cathode contains a lithium-free cathode active material selected from sulfur, a chalcogen compound, titanium sulfide (TiS2), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), manganese dioxide (MnO2), cobalt oxide (CoO2), vanadium oxide (VO2), V2O5, V3O8, V4O9, V6O13, transition metal oxide, and/or a non-lithiated intercalation compound.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Components: The mixture layer of carbon and lithium or its alloy further comprises an element selected from alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, transition metal, boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), antimony (Sb), or bismuth (Bi). The anode active material is selected from: (c3) alloys or intermetallic compounds of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn, Al, Ti, Fe, Mn, or Cd with other elements, where the alloys or compounds are stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric; and/or (d) oxides, carbides, nitrides, sulfides, phosphides, selenides, and tellurides of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, Sb, Bi, Zn, Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Co, and/or Cd.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - The conductive substrate is selected from intrinsically conductive polymer film, and conductive filler-polymer composite film.