The amorphous oxygen-deficient TiO2-x thin layer coated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are synthesized by atomic layer deposition and employed as cathode materials for lithium-air battery. The cathode demonstrates high electrocatalytic activity toward electrode reactions, resulting from the introduction of oxygen-deficient TiO2-x into the nanocomposites. It is found that the intrinsically isotropic nature of amorphous TiO2 which a certain amount of Ti3.5+ and Ti3+ can improve the catalytic activity. Consequently, the battery with the corresponded CNT@TiO2-x cathode shows high discharge/charge capacities and good cycling performance, which the cyclic retention of more than 90 cycles are achieved, while with the pristine CNTs only 50 cycles are obtained. This study provides an approach to fabricate cathode materials for lithium-air battery and moreover clarifies the influence of oxygen vacancies of TiO2 on the electrochemical performance. (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.