Metallic tin (Sn) used as anode material for lithium ion batteries has long been proposed, but its low temperature electrochemical performance has been rarely concerned. Here, a Sn/C composite with nano-Sn embedded in expanded graphite (Sn/EG) is synthesized. The nano-Sn particles (similar to 30 nm) are uniformly distributed in the interlayers of expanded graphite forming a tightly stacked layered structure. The electrochemical performance of the Sn/EG, particularly at low temperature, is carefully investigated compared with graphite. At -20 degrees C, the Sn/EG shows capacities of 200 mAh g (1) at 0.1C and 130 mAh g (1) at 0.2C, which is much superior to graphite (< 10 mAh g (1)). EIS measurements suggest that the charge transfer impedance of the Sn/EG increases less rapidly than graphite with decreasing temperatures, which is responsible for the improved low temperature electrochemical performance. The Li-ion chemical diffusion coefficients of the Sn/EG obtained by GITT are an order of magnitude higher at room temperature than that at -20 degrees C. Furthermore, the Sn/EG exhibits faster Li-ion intercalation kinetics than graphite in the asymmetric charge/discharge measurements, which shows great promise for the application in electric vehicles charged at low temperature. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.