Carbon-coated Li2.7Ti2(PO4)(3), a new mixed-valence titanium(III/IV) phosphate, is synthesized by the microwave-assisted sol-gel method using citric acid as both a chelating reagent and carbon source for the cathode material in lithium-ion batteries. The contents of Li, Ti and P are analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and ion chromatography (IC). The microstructure, composition, and electrochemical performance of Li2.7Ti2(PO4)(3)/C samples are characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The Li2.7Ti2(PO4)(3)/C sample exhibits a high initial discharge capacity of 123.6 mA h g(-1) at 0.1C and outstanding cycling ability. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.