In this work, a novel core-shell structured SiOx/nitrogen-doped carbon composite has been prepared by simply dispersing the SiOx particles, which are synthesized by a thermal evaporation method from an equimolar mixture of Si and SiO2, into the dopamine solution, followed by a carbonization process. The SiOx core is well covered by the conformal and homogeneous nitrogen-doped carbon layer from the pyrolysis of polydopamine. By contrast with the bare SiOx, the electrochemical performance of the as prepared core-shell structured SiOx/nitrogen-doped carbon composite has been improved significantly. It delivers a reversible capacity of 1514 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g(-1) and 933 mA h g(-1) at 2 A g(-1), much higher than those of commercial graphite anodes. The nitrogen-doped carbon layer ensures the excellent electrochemical performance of the SiOx/C composite. In addition, since dopamine can self-polymerize and coat virtually any surface, this versatile, facile and highly efficient coating process may be widely applicable to obtain various composites with uniform nitrogen doped carbon coating layer. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.