A class of mesoporous wormholelike carbon (WMC) with controllable nanostructure was prepared by sol-gel method and then used as the anode material of lithium-ion batteries. Based on the experimental results, it is found that the nanostructure of the as-prepared WMC plays an important role in the electrochemical performances. A suitable mesopore size is necessary for a high performance carbon-based anode material since it can not only guarantee effective mass transport channels but also provide large surface area. As a result, F30 with a mesop ore size of 4.4 nm coupled with high surface area of 1077 m(2) g(-1) shows a reversible capacity of 630 mAh g(-1), much higher than commercial graphite and many other reported nanocarbons. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.