TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The alkaline source material comprises: a lithium source material and/or a sodium source material; lithium oxide (preferred), lithium peroxide, dilithium sulfide, lithium fluoride, lithium chloride and/or lithium bromide; and sodium oxide, sodium peroxide, sodium sulfide, sodium fluoride and/or sodium chloride. The cathode further comprises: a primary cathodic material including sulfur, air (oxygen) (both preferred), a lithiated material, a non-lithiated material, a sodiated material, manganese oxide, vanadium(V) oxide, lithium vanadium oxide, molybdenum disulfide, iron(II) disulfide, iron(III) fluoride and/or iron(II) fluoride; a lithium transition metal rich oxide composite and a non-lithiated material; and a polymeric binder. The lithiated material comprises a spinel, an olivine, a carbon-coated olivine, lithium iron phosphate, lithium cobalt oxide, lithium nickel oxide, lithium manganese oxide, lithium iron oxide and a metal compound of formulae (LiNi1-xCoyM4zO2) (I), (LiMn(0.5)Ni(0.5)O2) (II), (LiMn(1/3)Co(1/3)Ni(1/3)O2) (III), (LiM4(0.5)Mn15O4) (IV), (Li1+xaNipMnqCorM5sO2-z1Fz1Li2MnO3-LiaMbMacMaadOe) (V), (Lin1B2(M2O4)3) (Nasicon) (VI) and/or (Li2MSiO4) (VII). The anode active material is a carbon material, lithium metal, silicon, silicon-carbon, silicon monoxide, tin, antimony, tin oxide, a tin carbon, a composite tin alloy, lithium titanate, a transition metal oxide and/or a lithium metal nitride. The lithium transition metal rich oxide composite is a lithium compound of formula (LiM1O2-Li2M6O3) (VIII). The non-lithiated material is carbon materials, manganese dioxide, sulfur, vanadium(V) oxide, manganese(III) fluoride and iron(III) fluoride.M2 = P, S, Si, W or Mo;M4 = Al, Mg, Ti, B, Ga, Si, Mn or Co;M5 = Mg, Zn, Al, Ga, B, Zr or Ti;M, Ma, Maa = transition metals;B = Ti, V, Cr, Fe or Zr;x = 0-0.3;y, z, m, n = 0-0.5;xa, s, z1 = 0-0.4;a = 0-2;b-d, p-r = 0-1, where the sum of a+b+c+d is 0;n1 = 0-3;e = 0; andM1, M6 = Ni, Mn, V, Ti, Cu, Co, Cr or Fe.