The monodisperse Co3O4 mesoporous microdisks have been successfully prepared through a facile solvothermal synthesis method and subsequent heating treatment. The Co3O4 microdisks are polycrystalline, and have an average diameter of around 2 mm with an thickness of 300 nm. The specific surface area of Co3O4 mesoporous microdisks is about 108.9 m(2) g(-1) with a narrow pore size distribution centered at round 9.68 nm. The as-prepared Co3O4 mesoporous microdisks as anode material in lithium ion batteries exhibit a stable specific discharge-charge capacity of 765 and 749 mAh g(-1) after 30 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g(-1). The good electrochemical properties could be attributed to the unique mesoporous structure of Co3O4 materials. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.