High capacity ZnO/SnO2/MWCNT ternary nanocomposite films were prepared as free-standing anode materials by sol-gel spin coating method to increase the electrochemical discharge capacity of the Li-ion battery electrodes. The structural properties of free-standing buckypaper composite film anodes were characterized by Field Emission Gun - Scanning Electron microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and X-ray Diffraction techniques. Electrochemical performance tests, Cyclic Voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy analyses of free-standing anodes assembled in the CR2016 coin cell type Li-ion batteries were also performed. After 100 cycles, ZnO/SnO2/MWCNT free-standing anode showed as high as 487 mAh g(-1) discharge capacity. The results indicated that the ZnO/SnO2/MWCNT ternary nanocomposite anode produced by spin coating supplied beneficial outputs compared with binary nanocomposite anodes for increasing electrochemical energy storage performance for Li-ion batteries. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.