Patent ID: 7244531

Claim:
A non-aqueous electrolyte for use in a lithium battery having a lithium anode comprising: an organic solvent; and a halogenated organic metal salt of formula (1) below: where M is one of Si, Sn, Pb, and Ge; R 1 is one of F, Cl, Br, and I; R 2 is a substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 alkyl group or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group; and R 3 and R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, I, a substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, and a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, wherein during use in a lithium battery said halogenated organic metal salt dissociates into halogen anions and into cations which form a protective lithium alloy at the surface of the lithium anode through a reaction with lithium metal at the surface of the lithium anode, wherein a concentration of the halogenated organic metal salt is 500-2,500 ppm.