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A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery, a method for making the negative active material, and a rechargeable lithium battery including a carbonaceous material, which is capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating lithium, and particles of a metal or a metal compoun

A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery, a method for making the negative active material, and a rechargeable lithium battery including a carbonaceous material, which is capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating lithium, and particles of a metal or a metal compound or mixtures thereof, distributed in the carbonaceous material, the metal or the metal compound being capable of forming an alloy with lithium during electrochemical charging and discharging.

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What is claimed is: 1. A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery comprising: particles of a carbonaceous material that are capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating lithium; and particles of a metal or a metal compound or mixtures thereof, distributed within the pa

What is claimed is: 1. A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery comprising: particles of a carbonaceous material that are capable of reversibly intercalating and deintercalating lithium; and particles of a metal or a metal compound or mixtures thereof, distributed within the particles of carbonaceous material, wherein the particles of the metal or the metal compound have an average particulate diameter of 20 to 500 nm, the metal or the metal compound forming an alloy with lithium during electrochemical charging and discharging. 2. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the metal or the metal compound is represented by formula 1: description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"A1-xBx (1)description="In-line Formulae" end="tail" where 0≦x≦0.% A is at least one selected from the group consisting of Sn, Si, Ag, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, In, Ce, Pb, As, Bi, and Sb; and B is at least one selected from the group consisting of Zr, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, C, O, N, and S. 3. The negative active material of claim 2, wherein x is in the range of 0 to 0.5. 4. The negative active material of claim 2, wherein the metal compound is an oxide of Sn, an oxide of Si, or an oxide of Sb. 5. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the metal or the metal compound has an amorphous or a crystalline structure. 6. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within have an average particulate diameter of 10 to 100 μm. 7. The negative active material of claim 6, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material havina the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within have an average particulate diameter of 20 to 50 μm. 8. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the particles of the metal or the metal compound have an average particulate diameter of 20 to 80 nm. 9. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the negative active material includes 10 to 80 wt % of the metal or the metal compound. 10. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the particles of the metal or the metal compound to the diameter of the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed therein have is 20 or less. 11. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the negative active material includes an oxide layer formed on the metal or the metal compound. 12. The negative active material of claim 11, wherein the oxide layer has a thickness of 10 Å or less. 13. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed therein have a spherical shape or an elliptical shape. 14. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous material is amorphous carbon. 15. The negative active material of claim 1, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed therein have a core-shell structure, and the shell has a higher intensity ratio of Raman Spectroscopy peak intensity than the core. 16. The negative active material of claim 15, wherein the shell has an intensity ratio Ra I(1360)/1(1580) of a Raman Spectroscopy peak intensity I(1360) at a (1360) plane to an Raman Spectroscopy peak intensity I(1580) at a (1580) plane of 0.2 to 1.5. 17. A rechargeable lithium battery comprising: a positive electrode comprising a positive active material which reversibly intercalates and deintercalates lithium; a negative electrode including a negative active material; a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and an electrolyte comprising a non-aqueous organic solvent and a lithium salt; and wherein the negative active material comprises: particles of a carbonaceous material that reversibly intercalate and deintercalate lithium, and a plurality of particles of a metal or a metal compound or mixtures thereof, distributed within the particles of the carbonaceous material, wherein the particles of the metal or the metal compound have an average particulate diameter of 20 to 500 nm, the metal or the metal compound being capable of forming an alloy with lithium during electrochemical charging and discharging. 18. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the non-aqueous organic solvent is at least one selected from the group consisting of carbonates, esters, ethers, and ketones. 19. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the metal or the metal compound is represented by formula 1: description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"A1-xBx (1)description="In-line Formulae" end="tail" where 0≦x≦0.9; A is at least one selected from the group consisting of Sn, Si, Ag, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, In, Ce, Pb, As, Bi, and Sb; and B is at least one selected from the group consisting of Zr, Ti, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, C, O, N, and S. 20. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 19, wherein x is in the range of 0 to 0.5. 21. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 19, wherein the metal compound is an oxide of Sn, an oxide of Si, or an oxide of Sb. 22. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the metal or the metal compound has an amorphous or a crystalline structure. 23. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within have an average particulate diameter of 10 to 100 μm. 24. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 23, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within have an average particulate diameter of 20 to 50 μm. 25. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the particles of the metal or the metal compound have an average particulate diameter of 20 to 80 nm. 26. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the negative active material includes 10 to 80 wt % of the metal or the metal compound. 27. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the particles of the metal or the metal compound to the diameter of the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within is 20 or less. 28. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the negative active material includes an oxide layer formed on the metal or the metal compound. 29. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 28, wherein the oxide layer has a thickness of 10 Å or less. 30. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within have spherical shape or elliptical shape. 31. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the carbonaceous material is amorphous carbon. 32. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 17, wherein the particles of carbonaceous material having the particles of the metal or the metal compound or mixtures thereof distributed within have a core-shell structure, and the shell has a higher intensity ratio of Raman Spectroscopy peak intensity than the core. 33. The rechargeable lithium battery of claim 32, wherein the shell has an intensity ratio Ra I(1360)/1(1580) of a Raman Spectroscopy peak intensity I(1360) at a (1360) plane to an Raman Spectroscopy peak intensity I(1580) at a (1580) plane of 0.2 to 1.5.