TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The lithium-ion source of the electrolyte comprises a lithium salt chosen from lithium perchlorate, lithium tetrafluoroborate, lithium hexafluorophosphate, lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate, and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide, lithium bis(oxalato)borate, lithium bis(glycolato)borate, lithium bis(lactato)borate, lithium bis(malonato)borate, lithium bis(salicylate)borate and/or lithium (glycolato,oxalato) borate. The concentration of the lithium salt in the electrolyte is 0.5-2.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The polycarboxylic acid has repeating units, where 80 mol.% of the repeating units in the polycarboxylic acid are derived from polymerizing unsaturated monomers having functional groups chosen from monocarboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid and anhydride of dicarboxylic acid and form repeat units with monocarboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid and/or anhydride of dicarboxylic acid. The organic electrolyte comprises carbonate chosen from dialkyl carbonate and/or cyclic alkyl carbonate, preferably ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, and/or ethyl methyl carbonate. The polyether functionalized polycarboxylic acid is utilized in the battery cell, preferably in the electrolyte or electrode paste, in combination with components chosen from vinylene carbonate, vinyl ethylene carbonate, allyl ethyl carbonate, vinyl acetate, divinyl adipate, acrylonitrile, 2-vinyl pyridine, maleic anhydride, methyl cinnamate, ally alkyl phosphite, vinyl silane, cyclic alkyl sulphite, preferably ethylene and propylene sulphite and aryl sulphite, sulfur dioxide, polysulfide, nitrous oxide, alkyl or alkenyl nitrite and nitrate, halogenated cyclic lactone, methylchloroformate, lithium pyrocarbonate, carboxyl phenol, aromatic ester, catechol carbonate, succinimide and N-substituted succinimide. The polyether portion comprises terminal C1-36 hydrocarbyl groups and connecting groups chosen from -N(H)-, -N and -O- for connecting the carboxylic acid portion and the polyether portion, and repeat units of polyether portion chosen from -C2H4-O-, -C3H6-O-, and -C4H8-O-. The polyether portion of 3-80 repeat units comprises 3-25 repeat units of the -C2H4-O- and 0-5 total repeat units of the -C3H6-O-, and/or -C4H8-O-. The amount of the polyether functionalized polycarboxylic acid is 0.05-10 wt.%, preferably 0.1-5 wt.% of the electrolyte. The polyether functionalized polycarboxylic acid comprises 10-5000 repeat units, where 80 mol.% of the repeat units has structure of formula (-(CH(A)-C(D1)(B1))-).A = H or -C(=O)- when adjacent J is -N or B1;D1 = H, -CH3 and/or CH2C(=O)-OH;B1 = E, -C(=O)- or G;E = -CO2H or optionally in a partial or full salt form;G = CO-J-(CtH2t-O)L-(CH2CH2O)M-R1;t = 3 and/or 4;J = -O or N- when adjacent A or B1 is -C(=O)-, or -N(H)-;L = 0-20;M = 3-60; andR1 = C1-C36 hydrocarbyl group, where the repeat units (CtH2t-O)L and (CH2CH2O)M are in a random or block arrangement, and number ratio of E:G is 95: 5-25: 75.Provided that: when A is H, then D1 is -H, -CH3 or -CH2-B1; when A is -C(O)- or C(O)-OH, then D1 is independently in each repeat unit H or CH3; when J is NH, then 0-100% of the NH can react with adjacent -CO2H or (defined by A or B1) to give a five membered imide ring-containing repeat unit having structure of formula (i) and/or with -CH2-CO2H or -CH2-C(=O)-O (defined by Z) to give a five membered imide ring-containing repeat unit having structure of formula (ii), and/or two of adjacent repeat units from the polyacid forms a six membered imide ring having structure of formula (iii) when nearby B1 is -CO2H or-C(=O)-O and J is -N(H). Preferred Composition: The number of repeating units in the polycarboxylic acid from unsaturated monomers having monocarboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid and anhydride of dicarboxylic acid is 10-1000.