Rechargeable Lithium Battery with a Composite Anode

The invention relates to a rechargeable lithium battery comprising a composite anode (negative electrode) containing a metal nitrogen compound as the electrochemically active component in the composite anode, according to the general formulas (I) and/or (II) LiM(NH) (I) LiM(NH) (II), wherein (I) and (II) are present in any mixing ratio and M=an alkaline earth element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, or any mixture thereof, with x=0-4; z=0-2; m=1 or 0; n=1 or 0, where (m+n)=1, and wherein they correspond to the fully discharged, lithium-poorest state of charge of the nitrogen-containing compounds, a cathode (positive electrode), separated therefrom by a separator, containing lithium-insertable compounds selected from metal oxides, lithium metal oxides, lithium oxides and lithium hydroxide and an aprotic lithium electrolyte, wherein the electrochemically active metal nitrogen compounds of the composite anode are embedded in a transition metal-containing electronically or—mixed-conductive network consisting of finely divided transition metals and/or electronically or mixed-conductive interstitial transition metal compounds, and the weight ratio between the components forming the network and the nitrogen-containing compounds I and/or II is in the range of 1:100 to 1:2.