TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The composite cathode active material comprises a core and a shell disposed on a portion of the core. The core comprises the lithium intercalatable material. The shell comprises garnet oxide comprising oxide component (L(5+x)E3MezM(2-z)Od), lithium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide component (Li(5+x)La3(Zr2A(2-z))O12), preferably lithium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide (Li7La3Zr2O12), lithium-lanthanum-zirconium-niobium-oxide (Li(6.75)La3(Zr(1.75)Nb(0.25)O12)), lithium-rubidium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide (Li(7.5)Rb(0.25)La(2.75)Zr2O12), lithium-rubidium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide (Li8Rb(0.5)La(2.5)Zr2O12), lithium-rubidium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide (Li9RbLa2Zr2O12), lithium-potassium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide (Li(7.125)Rb(0.0625)La(2.9375)Zr2O12), lithium-strontium-lanthanum-tantalum-oxide (Li5SrLa2Ta2O12), or lithium-potassium-lanthanum-zirconium-oxide (Li(7.125)K(0.0625)La(2.9375)Zr2O12), where L comprises a monovalent cation, bivalent cation, and/or lithium, E comprises a monovalent cation and a trivalent cation, Me and M each independently comprise a trivalent, 4-valent, 5-valent, or 6-valent cation, x is more than 0, but less than or equal to 3, z is 0-2, and d is more than 0, but less than or equal to 12, O is optionally substituted with 5-valent, 6-valent or 7-valent anion, A is scandium, titanium, vanadium, yttrium, niobium, hafnium, tantalum, aluminum, silicon, gallium, or germanium. The shell further comprises a carbonaceous material comprising a carbon nanotube, a carbon nanofiber, graphene, graphite, an expanded graphite, a carbon nanopowder, a hard carbon, or a soft carbon. The core comprises lithium-oxide (Li2-x1-y1z1Me1x1+y1+z1O2+d1), (Li2-x1-y1z1Max1Mby1Mcz1O2+d1), lithium-nickel-cobalt-manganese-oxide (Li2-x1-y1z1Nix1Coy1Mnz1O2+d1), lithium-oxide (pLi2MO3-(1-p)LiMe2O2), lithium-oxide (x2Li2MO3-y2LiMe2O2-z2Li1+d2M12-d2O4), lithium-cobalt-oxide (Lix3Co1-y3M2y3O2-aXa), lithium-cobalt-nickel-oxide (Lix3Co1-y3-z3Niy3M2z3O2-aXa), lithium-manganese-oxide (Lix3Mn2-y3M2y3O4-aXa), lithium-cobalt-oxide (Lix3Co2-y3M2y3O4-aXa), lithium-phosphorus-oxide (Lix3Mey3M2z3PO4-aXa), lithium-phosphorus-oxide (Lix4M3y4M4z4PO4-d3X1d3), where x1, y1, z1, p, x2, y2, z2 is more than 0, but less than 1, d1 is 0-0.1, x+y+z is less than or equal to 1, x2+y2+z2 is 1, d2 is 0-0.33, x3 is 0.90-1.1, y3 is 0-0.9, z3 is 0-0.5, 1-y3-z3 is more than 0, a is 0-2, x4 is 0.9-1.1, y4 is more than 0, but less than or equal to 1, z4 is 0-1, x4+y4+z4 is 1.9-2.1, Me1 is manganese, vanadium, chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel, zirconium, rhenium, aluminum, boron, germanium, ruthenium, tin, titanium, niobium, molybdenum, or platinum, Ma, Mb, Mc are each independently metal of manganese, cobalt, nickel or aluminum, M is ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, zinc, aluminum, silicon, nickel, manganese, chromium, iron, magnesium, vanadium or a rare earth element, and Me2 and M1 is titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, aluminum, magnesium, zirconium or boron, M2 is magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, zinc, aluminum, silicon, nickel, manganese, chromium, iron, magnesium, strontium, vanadium or a rare earth, X is oxygen, fluorine, sulfur or phosphorus, M3 is iron, manganese, nickel or cobalt, M4 is magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, titanium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, zinc, aluminum or silicon, and X1 is sulfur or fluorine.