NEGATIVE ACTIVE MATERIAL FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERY, METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME AND RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERY INCLUDING THE SAME

A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a core including a SiOmatrix and a Si grain, and a coating layer continuously or discontinuously coated on the core. The coating layer includes SiC and C, and the peak area ratio of the SiC (111) plane to the Si (111) plane as measured by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) using a CuKα ray ranges from about 0.01 to about 0.5.