A secondary battery including a cathode having a primary cathode active material and an alkaline source material selected from the group consisting of Na2O, Na2O2, Na2S, NaF, NaCl, NaBr, Li2O, Li2O2, Li2S, LiF, LiCl, LiBr, Na2O, Na2O2, Na2S, NaF, NaCl, and a mixture of any two or more thereof; an anode having an anode active material; an electrolyte; and a separator.