NOVELTY - Electrode comprises a base composition having an active material for intercalating the metal ions during a discharge cycle and deintercalating the metal ions during a charge cycle, and an annealed composition covering a portion of the base composition, formed by a reaction of the base composition in a reducing atmosphere.    USE - The electrode is useful in a battery (such as lithium-ion, aluminum-ion, magnesium-ion, sodium-ion, metal-air or metal-sulfur battery, where the metal is lithium, aluminum, magnesium, zinc or sodium), which is useful in a grid storage application, vehicle battery application, military application, portable electronic device application, medical device application, and standard cell size battery application (all claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The electrode provides the battery with high capacity and fast charge-discharge capability, and improved conductivity, rate capability and/or cycling performance.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Electrode comprises a base composition having an active material for intercalating the metal ions during a discharge cycle and deintercalating the metal ions during a charge cycle, and an annealed composition covering a portion of the base composition, formed by a reaction of the base composition in a reducing atmosphere. The active material is lithium cobalt oxide, lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4), lithium-manganese oxide (Li2MnO3), lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2), lithium manganese nickel oxide (LiMn(1.5)Ni(0.5)O4), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), lithium-iron-fluoro-phosphate (Li2FePO4F), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (Li3CoNiMnO6), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide of formula (Li(LiaNixMnyCoz)O2) and/or lithium manganese nickel metal oxide of formula (LiaMn(1.5-b)Ni(0.5-c)MdO4-x).    M = Li, Na, K, Mg, Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Si, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Pt, Os, Cu or Zn;    a = 0.5-2, preferably 1-1.4;    b, c = 0-0.5, where preferably c is 0-0.17;    d = 0-0.33; and    x = 0 or 1.    N.B. a-d and x are disclosed, and y and z are not defined. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a battery comprising an anode, a cathode having the base composition and the annealed composition, and an electrolyte capable of supporting reversible deposition and stripping of metal at the anode and reversible intercalation and deintercalation of the metal at the cathode; and    (2) forming the electrode comprising providing the base electrode composition, and annealing the base electrode composition in a reducing atmosphere.