TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Material: The anode active material further comprises at least one material selected from an electrically conductive material and an ionically conductive material on the base material. Preferred Components: The metal nitride comprises at least one metal selected from lithium, titanium, aluminum, zirconium, and silicon. The base material is at least one selected from Si, SiOx and Si alloy. The metal nitride comprises oxygen. The metal nitride comprises at least one bond selected from Li-N, Li-O-N, Ti-N, Ti-O-N, Al-N, Al-O-N, Zr-N, Zr-O-N, Si-N, and Si-O-N. The metal nitride is a metal oxynitride which has an atomic concentration ratio of oxygen to nitrogen of about 0.04 to about 0.95, when determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the oxygen 1s and nitrogen 1s peaks. The atomic concentration ratio of oxygen to nitrogen is about 0.05 to about 0.6, when determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the oxygen 1s and nitrogen 1s peaks. The electrically conductive material is a conductive metal or a carbonaceous material. The ionically conductive material is an oxide or a phosphate having an ionic conductivity of about 10-2 to about 10-6 Siemens per centimeter. The metal oxide precursor comprises at least one element selected from a halide, hydroxide, carbonate, and an alkoxide of a metal. When the at least one material is selected from a metal oxide precursor, metal oxide comprises at least one metal selected from lithium, titanium, aluminum, zirconium, and silicon.x=0-2.Preferred Method: The contacting further involves milling. The method further involves prior to the heat treating of the mixture, drying the mixture under ambient pressure or a reduced pressure at a temperature of room temperature to about 90 degrees C. The contacting further involves contacting with at least one material selected from an electrically conductive material and an ionically conductive material. In the method, prior to the heat treating, the mixture is further contacted with a nitrogenous compound, where the nitrogenous compound is at least one selected from urea, hydrazine, ethylenediamine, and cyanamide. The heat treating is performed at a temperature of about 300 to about 1500 degrees C.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Components: The Si alloy is an alloy of Si and at least one selected from Al, Ca, Cu, Mg, Ni, and Ti. The Si alloy is at least one selected from AlSi2, Cu5Si, Mg2Si, NiSi, TiSi2, and Si7Ti4Ni4. EXAMPLE - Silicon nanoparticles having a particle size of about 50 nm (1.8 g) and 0.2 g of lithium titanium oxide nanoparticles were mixed, sealed in an Ar atmosphere, and then milled and mixed for 300 minutes with a high-energy mechanical milling device to prepare a composite. The composite was heat treated at a temperature of 850 degrees C in a nitrogen atmosphere to prepare an anode active material. Preparation of electrode (test) was carried out as follows: 0.02 g of the active material prepared above and 0.16 g of graphite were mixed in a mortar, and then as a binder, 0.3 g of 6.7 wt.% polyamide-imide solution in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) was added to it, followed by mixing. The mixture was coated on a copper (Cu) foil and dried in an oven at a temperature of 90 degrees C for 1 hour, followed by heat treating in a vacuum oven at a temperature of 220 degrees C for 2 hours to complete manufacture of an electrode. A control electrode was manufactured in a same manner as in test, except that 0.018 g of Si particles were used instead of the active material prepared and 0.162 g of graphite was used. The test/control electrode was evaluated for capacity retention rate (1C, 50th cycle) (%) and showed capacity retention rate of 91.9/88%.