Li-rich layered oxide materials possess high voltage and high specific capacity, which makes them attractive cathode candidates for lithium-ion batteries. However, they still suffer from a poor rate capability, which seriously blocks their widespread practical applications. In this work, Li(Li0.167Mn0.5-Co-0.Ni-167(0.167))O-2 microspheres were synthesized by a hydrothermal-assisted method, in which Ni-Co-Mn- based microspherical precursors obtained by a hydrothermal process with polyethylene glycol-600 (PEG-600) as a surfactant were mixed with lithium sources and then sintered to yield the final products. It is found that the as-prepared Li-rich layered oxide microspheres exhibit high discharge capacity and superior rate performance: delivering an initial discharge capacity of 292 mAh g (1) at a current density of 20 mA g (1), 189 mAh g (1) at a current density of 600 mA g (1) and 142 mAh g (1) at a current density of 2000 mA g (1) (10C), which are better than that of the sample as-prepared by co-precipitation method. The high discharge capacity and improved rate-capability were beneficial from the microspheres assembled by uniform primary particles around 250 nm, more reversible redox and better electrode kinetics comparing to that of the co-precipitation sample. The preparation strategy reported here may offer hints for achieving various advanced Li-rich layered composite materials that would be used in high-performance energy storage. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.