To develop new anode materials for Li-ion batteries, manganese monoxide/titanium nitride (MnO/TiN) composite was prepared by a facile nitridation procedure. Through the analysis of XRD, TEM, EDS and XPS data, it is found that MnO is homogenously mixed with TIN. Due to that TiN in the composite offers a conducting network and acts as a barrier to effectively buffer the volume expansion/contraction of MnO during the Li+ insertion/extraction process, the MnO/TiN electrode exhibits superior lithium storage properties than pristine MnO electrode. As a result, the Li-ion battery with MnO/TiN composite as anode displays a high and reversible specific capacity of 656 mAh g(-1) after the 140th cycle at 200 mAg(-1), and it still delivers a capacity of 210 mAh g(-1) at 2 A g(-1). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.