TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The electrode active material is at least one of an anode active material and a cathode active material. The anode active material is artificial graphite, natural graphite, surface modified graphite, coke, hard carbon, soft carbon, carbon fiber, and/or conductive carbon, and further comprises at least one of silicon and silicon oxide, where the silicon-containing anode active material comprises at least one hydroxy group on the surface. The current collector is made of a material comprising aluminum, carbon, copper, stainless steel, nickel, zinc, and/or silver.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Composition: The binder composition further comprises an epoxy crosslinking catalyst comprising tertiary amines, quaternary amines, imidazoles, phosphonium compounds, and/or chelates. Preferred Components: The ionizable water soluble polymer comprises: at least one of xanthan gum, alginate, and an anionically modified polysaccharide comprising carboxyalkyl cellulose and/or carboxyalkyl hydroxyalkyl cellulose, where the ionizable water soluble polymer comprises at least one hydroxy group; or at least one of lithiated xanthan gum, lithiated alginate, and a lithiated anionically modified polysaccharide comprising lithiated carboxyalkyl cellulose and/or lithiated carboxyalkyl hydroxyalkyl cellulose. The component is: a synthetic polymer comprising at least one carboxy group and polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acid copolymers, methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride copolymers, modified methyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride copolymers, and/or styrene maleic anhydride copolymers; a polycarboxylic acid comprising formic acid, acetic acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, oxalic acid, and/or benzoic acid; and lithiated. The esterification catalyst is sodium hypophosphite, sulfonic acid, methane sulfonic acid, trifluoromethane sulfonic acid, titanate esters, and/or dialkyl tin. The epoxy resin comprising at least two epoxide groups is at least one of a di-epoxy, tri-epoxy, and/or tetra-epoxy. The epoxy resin comprises at least two epoxide groups, where the epoxy resin is in an aqueous dispersion comprising at least one surfactant comprising phosphate esters, imidazolines, and/or amides. The slurry further comprises an epoxy crosslinking catalyst comprising tertiary amines, quaternary amines, imidazoles, phosphonium compounds, and/or chelates. EXAMPLE - Typical binder composition comprised of: 0.58 wt.% carboxymethyl cellulose; 0.2 wt.% polyacrylic acid; and 0.19 wt.% sodium hypophosphite.