Multiwalled carbon nanotubes-sulfur (MWCNTs-S) composites were synthesized by chemical activation of MWCNTs and capillarity between sulfur and MWCNTs. The MWCNTs activated by potassium hydroxide (denoted as K-MWCNTs) were used as conductive additive. The as-prepared K-MWCNTs-S composites can display excellent cycle stability and rate capability with the initial discharge capacity of 741 mAh g-1 and capacity retention of 80% after 50 cycles compared to pure S. The improvement in the electrochemical performance for K-MWCNTs-S composites is attributed to the interstitial structure of the MWCNTs resulted from the strong chemical etching, which can facilitate the insertion and extraction of Li ions and more better percolation of the electrolyte, and also ascribed to enhanced electronic conductivity of K-MWCNTs-S composites. It is indicated that the K-MWCNTs-S composites can be used as the cathode materials for lithium-sulfur batteries. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.